


TVD One-Shots

by SiredToFandoms



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Alive Alaric Saltzman, Angst, Brotherly Angst, Brotherly Love, Child Abuse, Damon Salvatore Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Damon Salvatore, Hurt Stefan Salvatore, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Minor Elena Gilbert/Damon Salvatore, Minor Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore, Multi, Parent Alaric Saltzman, Past Abuse, Protective Damon Salvatore, Protective Stefan Salvatore, Stefan Salvatore Needs a Hug, Vampire Caroline Forbes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 64,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25016470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiredToFandoms/pseuds/SiredToFandoms
Summary: A collection of TVD One-Shots because why not? Mainly gonna be Damon and Stefan, but the others are in there as well!!
Relationships: Bonnie Bennett/Jeremy Gilbert, Caroline Forbes/Stefan Salvatore, Caroline Forbes/Tyler Lockwood, Elena Gilbert/Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore
Comments: 1
Kudos: 37





	1. A Brother’s Heartache

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Any warnings that apply, I’ll put them at the start of each chapter. Enjoy!!

**I originally wrote this as a separate OneShot, but I figured it would be good here, too.  
Characters: Damon & Stefan  
Pairings: None  
Warnings: None  
Summary: What if Stefan had chosen to go to Damon, the night he dug up their father's grave instead of staying with Elena?**

"I put my faith in my father, but Damon put his faith in me." Elena pulled Stefan into a comforting hug, but it was brief as Stefan quickly pulled away. "No. I'm sorry, Elena. I have to go, I have to see him." As he walked towards the exit, he felt Elena looking at his back with sad eyes. "Stefan, you don't owe him anything." She said. Stefan paused from his position at the door and looked over his shoulder at her. "He's my brother."

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVD

Damon had the book in his hands, stood up facing the fire as Stefan approached. As the younger brother walked the last 100m across the clearing, Damon inclined his head slightly towards him. "Stefan, little brother... what do you want?" Damon said quietly. Stefan sighed. Damon didn't growl his question, nor was there the usual sarcastic tone or smirk. Stefan had grown up with Damon, grown to realise that his older brother's irritating arrogance and sarcasm meant he was okay, and had learnt to listen out for when it wasn't there. 

"Why are you still sat there?" Stefan asked. Damon huffed. "Thinking... remembering the good old days." Stefan crossed to stand next to him, standing a metre away. "I do that a lot, too. This place does that to people like us." Damon returned Stefan's such with his own. "It's every time I come back, though. Every time I'm here, I get brutally reminded of things I'd rather never think of again." Then, Damon shook his head and took a deep, steadying breath. 

"I didn't know." Damon said about a minute later. Stefan hummed in confusion. "I didn't know she was compelling you; Katherine." Stefan turned briefly towards his older brother. "What?" He asked as he turned back to the fire. "If I had known that K-Katherine was compelling you, I would've done something. I would've stopped her. She couldn't have that. I wasn't until fairly recently that I figured it out." Stefan huffed. They lapsed into quiet, the sound of the crackling fire the only thing filling the air. Stefan had always assumed that Damon had known, that Katherine had told him or that he had figured it out in 1864...

"I didn't tell him." Stefan said to break the silence. "What?" Damon asked, sounding slightly frustrated. "About Katherine. I never told our father about Katherine." Damon's head twisted towards his younger brother so fast Stefan was sure he got whiplash. The older vampire turned to face Stefan fully, taking a couple of steps towards him. His eyes flashed with anger and confusion, his mouth opening to demand a reply. "A day or two before Katherine was burned, I questioned father about whether it was possible that there are good vampires. Father obviously got suspicious, and slipped me vervain. Then, when me and Katherine were having a... a moment, she bit me and... well you know the kind of effect vervain has on vampires. That's when father took her." Stefan moved to arms length away from Damon, who looked as though his whole life had been a lie. 

"You... you didn't tell him?" Damon said quietly, as though feeling the way the sentence rolled on his tongue. Stefan sighed and shook his head slightly. "No, no I never did. I wouldn't. I'm sorry, I- I shouldn't have brought it up, I was-" Damon interrupted him.  
"Why didn't you tell me?" He said, his gaze piercing into Stefan's eyes where they had just raised from the muddy floor. "What difference would it have made? Katherine was still thrown in the tomb, I was still responsible, and-" but he was prevented from finishing as Damon interrupted him again. "For 145 years, I hated you. Stefan, I thought you'd betrayed me, I thought you lied to me! I thought you didn't care about how I felt, about Katherine... Stefan, it hurt thinking you'd betrayed me like that. It killed me inside to think that you had turned your back on me in favour of our father. You were the only one I ever fully trusted, the only one I had ever depended on, and I thought you'd thrown that aside! Stefan, it would've made all the difference in the world!" Stefan hung his head slightly guiltily. "I'm sorry, Damon. I didn't know it would've effected you so-" again, he was interrupted by his older brother. "You mean the tell me that, all this time you knew you had never told father, and you thought it wouldn't have effected my decision if you told me?" His voice broke at the end. 

For 145 years, Damon had hated his brother more than anything. Hell, he had vowed to make Stefan's entire eternal life a misery. For 145 years, Damon had felt betrayed and rejected by the one person he knew he could rely on, the one person he knew wholeheartedly he could trust. And now... now he was finding out that it was all for nothing? Damon had turned his back on his brother, trying with all his might to make sure Stefan was miserable for the rest of his days. He turned away from his brother, sighing in disbelief. He couldn't believe that all of those years of hatred and betrayal had been for nothing. As he turned back to the fire, Stefan nodded toward the grimor still in Damon's hand. "I'll help you, if you want. For real this time, I'm not going to stop you. I know how much Katherine means to you and who am I to get in the way?" He almost surprised Damon with his words. "I know you love her, I can tell. I wouldn't want you to stop me and Elena being together, so I'll help you get Katherine back." 

Damon looked down at the thick, leather book in his hands. He could have Katherine back. Katherine, the girl he had searching for and chasing after the last century and a half. She was the only reason he ever came back Mystic Falls, to get her back. But then he thought about it. Katherine would blame Stefan for her imprisonment in the tomb, would want to kill him for his accidental trick. And Damon knew she would succeed. Katherine wouldn't hesitate to drive a stake through his little brother's heart the moment she was free. "No. It absolutely destroys me to say this, Stefan, but I can't bring her back. Not after what you told me." Stefan frowned at him.  
"But, I thought you didn't care about this town, much less the people in it. I thought setting those vampires free was just a minor inconvenience to you." Damon shook his head and once again put the brother at arms' length of each other. "No, I don't. But I care about what happens to you, Stefan. At the end of the day, you're still my little brother." Stefan shook his head and looked back down at the ground. "No. Don't... don't not bring her back because of me, Damon. You love her, you've been chasing her all this time. Bring her back." Damon rolled his eyes at his younger brother. "I won't hate you for it this time, this is my own decision." He said, his signature smirk adorning his feature once more. 

Stefan knew Damon was just hiding behind a mask. "Damon..." He pleaded.  
"What, Stefan?" Damon asked, starting to sound slightly frustrated. Yes, I love her, yes she is all I've been after the past hundred odd years. But dammit, Stefan, you're my little brother. If I bring Katherine back, she will kill you without hesitation. So it kills me to say it, but she has..." he huffed out a steadying breath. "... she has to- to stay in the tomb." He said, and Stefan heard his voice breaking. Stefan looked up from burning a hole in the ground to see his older brother's eyes filling with tears. "Damon..." he started again. "No, Stefan." Damon deadpanned, his voice shaking dangerously." No, I won't trade you for her. I still... dammit, I still care about you, Stefan! If releasing Katherine means you dying then no, I don't want her here." As he spoke, Stefan saw a small tear trickle slowly down Damon's face. Damon wiped it away angrily and turned away from Stefan, but the younger vampire moved back in front of him. "I don't need some soppy, tear-filled moment, Stefan." Damon said angrily, trying and failing to smirk again as his voice shook and his sapphire eyes were still full. He had never seen Damon look so... vulnerable. He had a defeated look in his tearful eyes that Stefan hated and his entire body was tense. He looked so different compared to the usual Damon, like he was suddenly ten years younger, a mere boy. Upon noticing this, Stefan pulled Damon into a hug without hesitation. 

At first, Damon stiffened. He dropped the grimor and then it hit him. Hit him like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, his walls suddenly felt like a wobbling house of cards. Katherine was gone. Gone. And Damon had made the albeit right choice to keep her that way. He had truly lost her this time. For good. His house of cards came crashing down, then. Each card piercing his heart as he wrapped his arms around his younger brother's waist. Without meaning to, he let out a small sob, but that was all it took for another card to pierce his heart painfully and for whatever was left standing of Damon's walls to crumble to the ground. Before tonight, at least Damon had had the flickering hope that maybe one day he would get to see Katherine again, that he would get to hug her close again. This time, he didn't have that hope... she was gone. He buried his face in the crook Stefan's shoulder and neck. Gone. 

Stefan felt his shirt starting to get damp as they soaked up Damon's silent tears. He didn't mind. The last time he had seen Damon cry was when Stefan first learnt about the church and Damon had told him Katherine had been burnt. Stefan held his brother tighter, squeezing him almost protectively. He hadn't hugged his brother since 1864. But for now, comforting Damon was his priority. Stefan's extra comfort made another cry escape his older brother. A pain-filled, whimpering cry. Stefan made quiet shushing noises in Damon's ear, like the latter used to do when the former had a nightmare. "Hey, it's ok. Let it out, it's ok." As much as it pained both of them, Stefan knew Damon needed this. 

Damon sobbed into Stefan's shoulder until they became little more than sniffles. At that point, Stefan tried to break away from the hug, but Damon held on tighter. "No." He said, his voice shaking as thought he was about to start sobbing again. "Not yet." He whispered. It was another few minutes before Damon started to wiggle out of Stefan's grip, wiping his eyes and gesturing towards Stefan's shirt. "Sorry." He muttered thickly, his voice filled with raw emotion. Stefan shrugged, dismissing the wet patch on his shoulder. To give Damon some time to compose himself, Stefan spent longer than was necessary picking up the grimor, deliberately dropping it a couple of times before straightening up. "I say we burn this. There are still vampires out there who want it, and we really don't need them getting their hands on it. Too many blood-starved, angry vampires all out for revenge? Yeah, no thanks." Damon nodded and took the book from Stefan's hand. With a heavy sigh, he walked up to the fire threw the book into the flames. Stefan watched intently from behind him as the pages burnt to a crisp. Almost as soon as Damon had tossed the book into the heat, his body had tensed again. The defeated look was starting to creep its way back onto Damon's features, so Stefan clasped a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let's go home." He said as the last few pages burnt to ash. With a small smile, Damon nodded. "Yeah, home sounds nice." He said and they started walking back to the Salvatore mansion. 

They walked for about five minutes before Damon broke the silence, the usual sarcasm once again filing his tone. "Oh my god, Stefan, we just had a moment. Like, a real brother's moment." Stefan punched his arm, causing his older brother to stagger slightly sideways. "Come on, race you." Damon grinned as he sped off towards the house, without using his power. Stefan puffed out a laugh before taking after his brother, using his power to catch up but then running normally. 

Damon would always swear he beat Stefan, but they both knew it was a lie. Once again, Stefan didn't mind. 

**Ok, I hope you enjoyed that. This is my first TVD fic and, I'm only at the start of season two so I apologise if it's OOC. Anyways, reviews and comments welcome :) (PS: I know I tend to overuse comers 😂)  
Isaac :))**


	2. Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Ok, let's pretend that at Stefan and Elena's graduation, there was no hybrids and released undead supernaturals.  
>  Characters: The usual gang, minus Jeremy and Alaric  
> Pairings: Stefan/Elena (no slash)  
> Warnings: None  
> Summary: "I'm not coming, Stefan." Damon grumbled. "Why not?" Stefan asked for the millionth time. "They're stupid, now go."**

Stefan and Elena walked down the stairs of the Salvatore Boarding House into the main living area. They lingered in front of the door for a few minutes, admiring how each other looks in their respective gowns before moving into the sitting room. Damon was sat in his favourite chair, a glass of bourbon n his hands. Without taking his eyes off of the swirling brown liquid, he spoke to them. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my favourite graduates!" He said sarcastically. "I mean, how many times have you graduated now, Stefan? Fifteen? Twenty?" Elena chuckled as Stefan sighed. He really did not need this rant again. Damon always complained about graduation whenever he was around to witness one. Not that he ever attended, of course. Damon smirked upon seeing his brother's reaction. "I think it's pointless to ask if you're willing to come down this year?" Damon stood to refill his glass. "Yep. No way am I coming to a silly little graduation." What flickering hope Stefan had had that Damon might change his mind died. He wasn't, however, expecting Elena to speak up. "What? Why? All of us are graduating! Me, Stefan aka your _brother_ , Matt, Caroline. We all are!" Damon sat back down in his chair and shook his head. "Here's the thing, Elena. I don't _do_ graduations. If I had had a graduation when I left high school, I wouldn't have even gone then. They're ridiculous." Elena huffed beside him and mumbled something about Damon being a grumpy asshole. "I would've said Stefan's more the grumpy asshole. I like to be the one who has actual fun." Elena turned pink, obviously having forgotten that Damon has supernatural hearing. "Hey, go wait in the car." Stefan said to her. "I'll be out in a second." Despite herself, Elena said a polite goodbye to Damon before kissing Stefan and exiting the house. Stefan didn't miss Damon turning away as she did so. 

After a few seconds pause, Stefan moved over to sit on the couch opposite Damon. "You seriously not coming this year? With all our friends graduating?" He asked. He had hoped that, what with both him and Elena graduating, Damon would've at least considered coming down to watch the ceremony. "Yes, Stefan. It is boring and practically useless. I'll pass."   
"But-"  
"I'm not coming, Stefan." Damon grumbled, obviously starting to get irritated by his brother's hounding. "Why not?" Stefan asked for the millionth time. "They're stupid, now go." Damon deadpanned, thus ending the conversation. "I would've thought you'd at least consider it. In case you didn't know, it was Elena who asked me if you were coming. She wants you there... and so do I." Stefan said before sweeping out of the room. 

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVD

"Is he seriously not coming?" Caroline said as Stefan and Elena caught them up on the events at the Boarding House. "Yeah, I couldn't change his mind. It's fine, this is my sixteenth graduation and Damon has attended a fat none of them thus far." Elena huffed. "Yeah, but it's our first. I would've thought he'd attend this one, at least for us. I mean, I have no parents to come watch, Damon's your only living relative, Bonnie doesn't have her Grams anymore, Tyler's mom was killed and Matt's mom has gone who knows where. I thought he might've at least shown up for us." She said glumly, before starting when she realised what she had said. "Oh my god, I am so sorry guys. Ah, that was tactless of me." Everyone reassured her that it was fine, but it was short lived as the mayor started speaking. 

Stefan tuned out of his speech. It was the same thing every time, no matter what town it was. A congratulations for all the graduates, compliments on how hard they've worked, and some gobbledegook about exam results. Instead, he looked elsewhere. At the cars, the sky, the long line of his fellow graduates. He got used to the long, boring wait after a while. Elena took his hand as the mayor started reading out names in alphabetical order. The first one of their gang to be called up was Bonnie. She hugged her Dad, received her certificate and exited the stage. Same old, same old. Stefan picked up on Tyler speaking under his breath. "I hope we don't all have to hug the mayor." Stefan and Caroline snorted, having been the only ones able to hear him. Stefan turned and smiled at Tyler, who looked surprised that anyone had heard him. "Don't worry, I've been to fifteen other graduations. I've never hugged a single mayor." Tyler smiled sheepishly up at him. Next up was Matt, then Caroline. She flounced up in her usual smiley, confident self and received her certificate. Stefan kissed Elena on the cheek as the latter made her way to the stage. He couldn't help but feel proud as he watched his love graduate. 

Being a Salvatore, Stefan was one of the last to graduate. There were only about six people left when Stefan finally zoned back in to the ceremony. "Stefan Salvatore!" He blinked a couple of times upon hearing his name, but then quickly made his way towards the stage. He shook the mayor's hand and clasped his framed certificate. He looked out into the crowd and his eyes immediately found something he didn't expect in the slightest: Damon. Damon was stood there, on the end of the third row back from the front, clapping his brother at graduation. Stefan smiled at him, and Damon nodded in his direction. Glancing back at his brother, Stefan left the stage and headed towards his friends. "Did you see Damon?" He asked them. All of them shook their heads. "No, I looked for him but I didn't see him. He really didn't come then." Elena said sadly. Bonnie placed her hand on her shoulder. "I saw him." They all looked up at him. "What?" Matt said. Stefan took off his hat as he replied. "I saw him. He was in the crowd, third row back from the front. He was here."   
"He must've arrived after we had graduated then, because I didn't see him either and out of all of us I was before you." Tyler pitched in. Before Stefan could reply, they all heard a familiar voice coming from behind Stefan. "Well, I couldn't miss my little brother's graduation now, could I?" Damon said as he walked up to them. Stefan followed him with his gaze. "You came?" Damon nodded.   
"Sorry, I kinda missed all of you lot." Damon pointed around everyone but Stefan. "I arrived about three people before you were called up though, so at least I saw what I came to see." He said as he gestured towards Stefan. "And what's that?" Bonnie asked. "Hm?" Damon.   
"What did you come to see?" Bonnie said.   
"My little brother graduate, of course! I thought that was obvious. I wasn't there when he actually finished school in the 1860s, and I've never been to any of his other graduations, so while all of you guys were also graduating I figured now couldn't be a better time." Stefan turned to face his brother. "You came for me?" Damon also turned so the brothers were face to face. "Stefan, you are 164 years old and I have never seen you graduate from school. I guess I'm sorry I never did, but yes. I came for you." Stefan stood staring at his older brother for a few seconds before pulling Damon into a tight hug. "Stefan, there are people watching." Damon huffed, but he quickly moulded into Stefan's embrace. "Thank you." Stefan whispered, failing to keep the emotion out of his voice. Damon clapped him on the back and held him tighter. "Always, little brother." Damon stroked his hair a couple of times before they broke apart. Stefan hurriedly wiped his eyes on his sleeve and was grateful that Damon turned away, pretending not to notice. 

"I say you lot get out of those ridiculous gowns, then we all go down to the grill and get fat." Damon suggested. The suggestion was greeted with laughs and voices of approval. The others moved away and Stefan made to follow them, but Damon grabbed his arm. Elena turned back questioningly. "Go ahead, I'll meet you at the grill." Stefan said. Elena smiled and caught up with Caroline and Bonnie. Stefan watched her for a minute before turning to Damon. "What's up?" Damon smiled and pulled him into yet another hug, taking Stefan completely by surprise. Stefan hugged him back and they stood there for a few seconds before Damon spoke again. "I'm proud of you, Stef." Stefan almost released Damon in shock. "After all this time, I have yet to say that to you. I know I promised you an eternity of misery, but I'm sorry I could never even be bothered with graduation. I can see how much it means to you that I'm here, so I'm sorry I wasn't here before." Stefan couldn't stop the few tears that leaked out of his eyes. Damon had never, ever been so open with him about anything, much less in an apology. Unable to make his voice work, Stefan just nodded his head. He felt Damon's head come to rest on his shoulder, so he buried his own in the dip between Damon's neck and shoulder. They stayed like that, comforting and supporting each other in the embrace for a long while. The hug meant more to Stefan than anything. In Damon's terms, it was an apology for never being there, for being a crappy older brother and unsupportive as hell. In Stefan's, it was acceptance of Damon's apology, comforting the older vampire in saying that it was okay that Damon wasn't always there because he's here now. For both of them, it meant that despite all their feuds and fights, they still loved and cared about each other. 

When they eventually broke apart, Damon clapped a hand on Stefan's shoulder. They made eye contact. Both brothers had red-rimmed, emotional eyes. "Let's get down to the grill." Damon said, barely above a whisper. Stefan nodded and they had arms around each other's shoulders, walking off into the parking lot. 

**I really hope that wasn't too OOC. I just love Damon and Stefan's rare shows of brotherly love. It's brilliant. Anyways, requests are open as always. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	3. Death of a Doppelgänger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **'If I hear the word doppelgänger one more time, I'm gonna have to learn how to spell it'  
>  Let's pretend that everyone was at Mystic Falls this night, and there was no threat of death to the Salvatore brothers.   
> Characters: the usual gang  
> Pairings: Bonnie/Jeremy, Caroline/Tyler, Stefan/Elena (no slash)  
> Warnings: Major Character Death  
> Summary: What if Elena was human the night Stefan saved Matt from the sinking car?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH

They were all at the Salvatore Boarding House, awaiting news on Elena. Bonnie and Jeremy were embracing on one couch; Caroline and Tyler had taken the other. Matt and Stefan were upstairs changing into some dry clothes and Damon was pacing, a half glass of bourbon in his hand. Alaric was at the hospital with Elena after kicking out a shouting Damon. 

_"I want answers! What the hell is wrong with her?" Damon had compelled three different doctors, and got nothing. Alaric came up to him then and grabbed his arm. Looking at the doctor, Alaric spoke. "He's my friend, I'll handle him." Then, Damon felt himself being dragged away from the shell shocked doctor. "Rick, they aren't telling me a thing." Damon growled, fury crumpling his features. "That's because you've been asking the wrong doctors. They're working on her. Go home, I'll call you if anything happens." Damon shook his head.  
"No, I'm waiting for her. Alaric, I can't go home." He pleaded. Alaric had the decency to look pitying. "Damon- go home. I promise I will call you as soon as anything happens." Damon found the sincerity in Alaric's eyes he was searching for. "Remember- if she dies, it's on Stefan, not you." Alaric nodded his head and Damon left the hospital._

Alaric had yet to call. Damon's phone remained silent in his pocket. He assumed that was a good thing, but he couldn't help but check it every few seconds just in case. He downed the last bit of alcohol and was just about the get a refill when Matt and Stefan walked solemnly into the room. Matt had obviously been crying, but that didn't stop Damon from smashing his glass on the floor and vamp-speeding over to Matt, slamming him against the nearest wall. "Damon, no!" He heard several people yell, he ignored them. "WHAT HAPPENED?" He shouted in Matt's face. Matt stuttered and tried to get out of Damon vice-like grip. "I- I dunno, I was dr-driving and then there was some-someone stood in the- the middle of the road, Damon I didn't mean to, I swear-" Damon screamed and slammed Matt against the wall again. This time, Stefan tried to pull the older vampire off, but Damon just elbowed him in the stomach. "You were driving, you should've had control! If she dies, I swear to god, YOU WILL JOIN HER!" Behind him, he heard Stefan gasp for breath, but Damon ignored him. "Da-Damon." Stefan said. "If you kill him and Elena dies, Elena would've died for nothing. She told me to save Matt first, it's not his fault." Damon kept Matt pinned against the wall for a few more seconds before realising that Stefan was right. He threw Matt to the floor. "You better hope she doesn't die, or your life will become a living hell personally designed by me." Matt nodded and hurried over to sit next to Bonnie and Jeremy. Stefan clapped Damon on the shoulder. "She'll be fine, Damon. Don't blame Matt, Elena told me to save her first, you know what she's like. I would've saved her first if she'd let me." Damon nodded. Classic Elena, putting her friends before herself. 

They sat in silence for what felt like hours before the front door opened and revealed Alaric. "Sorry I didn't call." He said slowly.   
"Well? How is she?" Damon didn't miss Alaric's red-rimmed eyes. His best friend took a deep breath. "They did everything they could, but there was too much fluid in her lungs. She got hyperthermic and pneumonia too quickly, they couldn't save her."   
"So you're saying she's dead?" Jeremy asked from where he was now stood in front of the couch. Alaric nodded his head. 

Everything happened at once. 

Bonnie let out a loud cry and fell back onto the couch, Jeremy landing next to her after a shout of anger escaped him. They held each other tightly as Bonnie cried and Jeremy tried to hold back tears. 

Caroline was pulled into Tyler's arms by the werewolf, and they clung onto each other, shoulders muffling sobs. 

Matt made a sound similar to Bonnie's and put his head in his hands, sobbing like nobody had ever heard anyone sob before. 

And Damon collapsed. His knees gave out, and the only thing that stopped him from hitting the floor was Stefan grabbing him under the arms. Stefan pulled him back to his feet so they were face to face, but Damon collapsed again, his knees unable to support him. Stefan held him upright and forced his chin to look at him. "Damon? Damon, look at me." He instructed, his own voice shaking wildly. Damon made eye contact with his brother and tried to swallow the fat lump rapidly growing in his throat. "That's it. Now, hold your weight, Damon. Stand." Damon somehow managed to get his legs to work, and Stefan let go. "She's gone, Stef." Stefan nodded, tears now falling fast from his eyes. "I know, Damon. I know." This time, Stefan wasn't ready to catch Damon when he collapsed. Unable to support himself any longer, Damon fell to the floor. Stefan crouched down in front of him. "She's gone. She's gone." Damon said, unable to grasp the idea that Elena was truly gone. He was never going to see her again. 

The room was filled with cries of anguish and pain. Alaric had moved over to comfort Matt, who was undoubtedly feeling terrible. Elena had died because Matt had been saved first. Jeremy had given up on holding in his tears and was now being comforted by Bonnie. Caroline was sobbing hysterically into Tyler's chest. The werewolf was stroking her hair soothingly while tears streamed silently down his own face. Alaric had tears of his own in his eyes as he rubbed circles on Matt's back, circles that were going unnoticed by the teen. Damon was still collapsed on the floor, head bowed and heaving great sobs. Stefan had taken up the role of comforting him, hugging his older brother’s back whilst also crying into the back of his neck. The back of Damon's shirt was slowly dampening with Stefan's tears, but neither vampire noticed nor cared. 

Everyone remained in those positions for a very long time. In the end, Caroline fell asleep in Tyler's arms on the couch, Tyler following shortly after. Alaric covered them and Matt with a blanket after Matt too had cried himself to sleep. Bonnie and Jeremy went upstairs to one of the spare rooms so they could have little privacy, then Alaric crouched down in front of Stefan and Damon. They had both stopped crying, only giving the occasional sniffle, but they were still sat in the same positions. They broke apart when Alaric reached them. "You two should go to bed. I'll take care of things down here." He said, gesturing towards the three teens sat on the couch. "I'm gonna kill him." Damon said thickly, glowering at Matt. "No, Damon. Remember what I said. You do that, and Elena would've died for nothing." Damon inclined his head slightly towards his brother. "Then why didn't you save her? Why did you save someone as useless as Donovan when you're in love with her? When I love her?" Stefan shook his head.   
"You know what she's like. She would've gone off the rails with every one of us if I'd saved her first."   
"So what? Let her go off the rails, you should've saved her first. Her death is on you." Stefan nodded his head. "I know that. Don't you think I feel bad enough about that? Damon, I know that I could've saved her, but Matt was already unconscious, his life was closer to ending than Elena's. Elena was still wide awake and in her mind enough to make me take Matt. I thought she had enough time left for me to save Matt then get her, but apparently not. Damon, I could not have gone any faster, you know I tried." Damon saw sense then. He knew Elena would've made Stefan take Matt first. He knew his brother should've ignored her, Damon would've, but he also knows what Stefan is like. He did what Elena wanted, respected her choices. And if Stefan is right in saying that Elena was wide awake and conscious, he can also see why Stefan thought he had enough time to save them both. "I know." He said quietly. He heard Stefan and Alaric sigh with relief. "That doesn't mean I forgive you, but I know why you did it." He said, keeping his gaze on the floor. Alaric helped him to his feet then, Stefan getting up behind him. "Now, you two need to get yourselves to bed." Alaric instructed.   
"Yes, Dad." Damon said sarcastically.   
"Hey, relatively speaking, Stefan you're 17 and Damon you're 25 so I'm older than both of you. Get to bed." The brothers smiled slightly despite themselves, but nodded and walked away from Alaric, towards the staircase. "We forgetting that we were born in the 1800s then?" Stefan asked. Damon hummed in approval. "Guess so." As they reached the corridor where they broke off to their respective rooms, they heard sobbing coming out of one of the spares. "Jeremy." Damon said. Both brothers chose to ignore it and turned to face each other instead. "You gonna be alright?" Stefan asked. Damon shrugged. "Could ask you the same question. You were her boyfriend, after all." Damon couldn't keep the hitch out of his voice at the word 'boyfriend'.   
"I know you loved her, Damon. More than once I've thought that maybe you're the one who's right for her. Yes, she chose me, but sometimes I think she should've chosen you." Damon shrugged again.   
"Guess now we'll never know." He said, feeling tears fill his eyes again. "Yeah." Stefan agreed. Damon hurriedly tried to blink the tears away, but one escaped. "Hey." Damon looked up at his brother. "You sure you're gonna be ok?" Damon shook his head.  
"No. Neither of us are. Let's just get through tonight, yeah?" Stefan nodded. Damon turned away and began to walk to his room, but he heard footsteps following him. Damon stopped, feeling a presence. "What are you doing?" He felt Stefan shrug.   
"I don't want to be alone tonight." He heard behind him. Damon turned and once again faced his little brother . "Seriously?" Stefan nodded from where he was looking at the floor. Damon thought for a second before carrying on towards his room.   
"Come on then."

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVD

It was the funeral. Tyler, Matt, Alaric, Jeremy, Damon and Stefan were carrying the coffin. All six had tears streaming down their face as they made their way towards the six feet deep hole in the ground where Elena was to be buried next to her parents. Caroline, Bonnie, Sheriff Forbes, Carol Lockwood and, surprisingly, Elijah had also shown up for the funeral. The coffin carriers stepped back as it was lowered into the ground. Jeremy and Tyler made their way over to their respective girlfriends, Alaric and Matt went over to the other side of the grave. The Salvatores remained where they were, staring at but not really seeing the casket in the dirt. "Elena didn't deserve this." Stefan said thickly. The brothers had asked Jeremy if they could lay Elena in their family's crypt, so that she wasn't just buried in dirt and had the temple she deserves. Jeremy had gratefully declined, saying she would want to be buried next to their parents. Damon and Stefan had immediately stepped down, wanting to be respectful of the family's wishes. They knew Jeremy was right, they just thought Elena deserved more than a pile of mud. "No, she doesn't." Damon replied, his voice equally thick with emotion. 

Once Elena was laid, Jeremy stepped up to speak first, tears streaming down his cheeks. "She was my sister. Despite any argument or disagreement we had, she always looked after me. Yeah we had moments when we hated each other and wanted nothing more than to beat the hell out of each other, but we loved each other. That's what mattered. She was selfless, always putting others before herself. I'll miss you, Elena." He said, then placed the white rose on top of the freshly placed dirt. 

Next up was Matt. He could hardly speak through the tears, his voice breaking and shaking constantly. "She died for me. We were drowning, I was unconscious. She was awake, and told Stefan to save me first. That's a debt I'll never be able to repay, a guilt I'll carry with me forever. We've known each other all our lives, and in the end she died to save me. I'm sorry, Elena. If I'd been awake, I would've told Stefan to save you. I am so, so sorry. It should be me lying there, not you." He broke down then, words failing him. He laid the rose on the grave then stepped back into Alaric's comforting embrace. 

Bonnie and Caroline said similar things, both trying to hold back tears and talking about how Elena was their best friend since 1st grade, how she had always been selfless and kind, a great cheerleader etc etc etc. Alaric commented on how he had been honoured to teach Elena and take care of her at home, been grateful that she had accepted such care and made a joke about him never becoming a father if every teenager was like Elena and Jeremy. After Alaric was Tyler, who didn't seem to have much to say, then it was Elijah's turn. 

"I have to say I feel slightly out of place here, but I felt it right for me to come. I knew Elena for a short time, but we gained a mutual respect for each other. We were similar in some ways. Both keepers of our words, noble when it comes to our families and respectful of other people's decisions. I saw that Elena was kind-hearted, that she would do anything for the people she cared about. I saw the love in her eyes when she looked at Stefan, the care when she looked at Jeremy. I witnessed her fierce protectiveness over Matt, her support for Bonnie, Tyler and Caroline and saw her fondness for Alaric and Damon. She was always true to herself, and for that I will forever respect her." He finished, laying the white rose on her grave. The others found themselves agreeing with his every word. They couldn't have put it any better than that. 

Next to last up to speak was Stefan. He had tear streaks on his face and his voice was thick, but no fresh tears leaked out of his eyes. "I loved Elena. I did ever since we walked into each other first day of freshman year. **(A/N-I think, I live in the UK so I have no idea how American schools work)** I had the honour of dating her, being privy to her love and care. I can't put it any better than Elijah did, if I'm honest. She was always true to herself, always determined to make her own decisions and do things how she thought was right, even if it meant putting herself in harm's way. She was fierce in heart, mind and spirit, and that's what I loved about her. She never sat on the sidelines and let people protect her. She always tried to protect herself before seeking help. I love you, Elena. And I'll miss you." Stefan finished, laying the rose on top of the grave with the others. He stepped back next to Damon, who took a deep breath before stepping forwards to speak. 

"I also loved Elena. We met through Stefan, but I am so glad we did. She hated me, saw me as the antagonist in the group. At the time, I was. But she started to see the good in me, started to understand why I do the things I do, quicker than any of you I think. We started to respect each other, eventually building a strong... friendship." His breath hitched at that word. "The night she died, I couldn't have ever imagined the pain I felt. I know it's awfully uncharacteristic of me to say so, but it's true. She touched every single one of us in a way. Everyone she ever met felt that connection. It's almost impossible not to love her, she just radiates good, safe energy. She was right for my brother, my brother right for her. As much as it pains me to say it, that's also the truth. I'll always love you, Elena. You were the best version of a human to exist. I know a lot of people who only strive to be like you. Guess I'll see you again someday." He put the white rose on top of the headstone, being the last to speak. 

With that, everyone just stood and looked at the grave. 

_Elena Gilbert  
Sister, Girlfriend, Friend & Daughter  
She wanted a love that consumed her,  
but instead gave it all for friendship  
1992-2012_

Damon had chosen the writing on the headstone. Nobody except him and Stefan knew that, however. Jeremy had given then job to Stefan, but Stefan had thought it right that Damon chose what it said. They had argued a little, but ultimately Damon gave in and chose the writing. It filled the headstone, but it suited Elena perfectly. 

One by one, everyone left. Jeremy left with Bonnie, Caroline with her mother, mayor Lockwood and Tyler and Alaric with Matt. Eventually, it was just Damon, Stefan and Elijah left at the grave. "I'm sorry for your loss." Elijah said. Stefan nodded his appreciation, but Damon didn't move or say anything. "I'm sorry if you felt like my presence here wasn't welcome also, but I did like Elena." Stefan shook his head. "No, it's fine. Thank you for saying what you did, it was perfectly put." Damon had yet to avert his eyes from the headstone, but Elijah nodded and bid his goodbye. As he walked away, he clasped Damon on the shoulder. "It gets easier." He whispered, so only Damon could hear. Damon still didn't move. A few minutes after Elijah left, Stefan took Damon's left elbow. "Come on, we'll go get a drink." Damon shook his head.   
"Don't wanna go to the Grill, Stef." Stefan nodded but didn't let go of his brother. "Then we'll go home." Damon thought for a second, then nodded. "Home sounds good."   
As the brothers finally walked away from the headstone, they couldn't see the smiling spirit of the girl they loved watching them walk away. 

**I'm sorry if anyone was too OOC, I tried to keep it reasonable. I'm thinking of making a part 2 to this where Elena reacts to the events of what happened in this story as a spirit, let me know what you think! Anyways, hope you enjoyed, requests open as always. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews and requests welcome :))


	4. Christmas Cheers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **This One-Shot is set the Christmas after Damon comes back to life (the one in S6 where Stefan gives him his car). The only difference is everyone is in Mystic Falls and together this Christmas. Also, Jo doesn't exist. This is mainly gonna be a long fic primarily containing people opening presents because I like exploring what gifts I think they would've given each other. Also, Damon is really giddy in this.  
>  Characters: the usual gang  
> Pairings: Damon/Elena, Bonnie/Jeremy  
> Warnings: None  
> Summary: it's Christmas in the Salvator Boarding House, and everyone is invited!!**

"Ayyy, Bon-Bon! And Baby Gilbert!" Damon greets Bonnie and Jeremy enthusiastically as he opens the front door. "You're the first to arrive, congratulations!" Bonnie and Jeremy hug Elena, then take seats on the couch on the right of the fire. "Hello to you too, Damon." Jeremy says. Bonnie gets up and hugs Damon, surprising the vampire. "Merry Christmas, I am never doing that again." Damon chuckled as Bonnie sits back next to Jeremy. "Can I get you anything to drink?" Stefan asks. Jeremy takes a beer, much to Elena's annoyance, but Bonnie politely declines. Barely five minutes later, there's another knock at the door and Damon leaps off of the couch to fling it open. "CAROLINE!" He yells, making everyone jump. "It's so good to see you!" Damon shouts, pulling Caroline into a tight hug. Caroline looks stunned, but pats Damon on the back nonetheless. Stefan chuckles, and Elena smiled at her. When Caroline is finally released with a broad grin from Damon, she makes her way over to Elena, who is stood with her back to the fire. "What's got him in such a good mood?" She asks. Elena shrugs. "It's a Christmas miracle." Elena replies with a smile. 

A short time passes before another knock is heard at the door. Damon, who was laying on the couch with Elena, sent the poor girl flying as he vamp-speeds off the couch and over to the door. "Damon!" Elena complained lightheartedly as she picked herself up from the floor. Damon spares her a glance, enough to deem she's alright, then throws open the door. "Well, if it isn't wolfy and dumbass!" He says cheerily. "Hi, Damon." Tyler and Matt chorus. Damon lets them through and Stefan offers them drinks. Next to arrive is Enzo, who simply bursts through the door before being almost bowled over in a bear hug from Damon. They slapped each other on the back as they hugged, laughing and greeting each other. Stefan, Caroline and Elena chuckle as they watch, and the others share amused looks. None of them had ever seen Damon so excited apart from Stefan, but that was a long time ago. 

Finally, Alaric is let in by Stefan while Damon is in the kitchen. He brought a bottle of bourbon with him that is almost smashed as he gets a similar greeting to what Enzo received. Damon sprints over to him like a human and all but yanks the college professor into a tight, rib-cracking hug. "Agh! Damon, what the hell? Are you drunk?" At that, everyone laughs. Damon chuckles and releases a stunned Alaric. "Nah, it's Christmas! Who doesn't love Christmas?" He says merrily.   
"You, normally." Stefan mutters, making all the supernaturals who picked up on it laugh. 

For a long while, they all just sit on the couches, chairs and floor laughing and joking. Drinks are passed around (Elena even lets Jeremy drink) and it's early evening before Stefan uncharacteristically screams. "AGH!" He leaped to his feet. "THE TURKEY! DAMON, WE FORGOT THE TURKEY!" He shouts before vamp-speeding out of the room. Damon works himself gently from Elena's arms. "Sorry babe, got a brother to deal with. THE TURKEY!" He shouts as he speeds after Stefan. Five seconds pass, then everyone bursts into laughter. The laughter continues until it eventually dies down mere seconds before Stefan calls them through to the dining room for Christmas dinner. "Sorry, the turkey is... slightly burnt, Damon's fault..."   
"Hey!"  
"... but the rest should be good." Damon slaps Stefan with a towel. "You know what that was for." Stefan chuckled as he took his seat at the head of the table, opposite Damon. Caroline, Jeremy, Bonnie and Matt were on one side; with Elena, Alaric, Enzo and Tyler on the other. Food was passed around amid hearty conversation. Midway through the main meal, Stefan got hit in the eye with a pea. Naturally, he threw one back and it went up Damon's nose. Damon threw another back at Stefan and soon enough, a pea-and-sweetcorn fight had started between the brothers. Everyone laughed and took bets on who would win. Stefan managed to catch a couple that Damon threw in his mouth, and Damon managed to get another one up his nose. They carried on, both brothers getting dotted with gravy and sweet corn seeds until finally Stefan hit Damon square in the eye, blinding the older vampire and claiming victory. "Agh, Stefan, there's gravy in my eye!" Damon exclaimed, causing everyone to laugh again. Damon picked the pea out of his eyelid, then blinked a few times. "Gone." He announced with a grin, renewing everyone's chuckles. Bonnie cleaned the table with her magic, then everyone tucked into Christmas pudding and custard. 

Happily fed and watered, everyone gathered around the fire once again. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds being relaxed breathing and the occasional 'hmmm' of someone stretching. The silence lasted a while, through to late evening and nightfall, until Enzo jumped to his feet. "PRESENTS!" He yelled. Everyone immediately perked up. Amidst all the amazing food and conversation, they had forgotten all about their little assignment that Damon and Stefan had set. The brothers and Enzo quickly rushed to the next room gather up all of the bags and boxes, and each man came back loaded with the things. 

_"Right. First of all, everyone here today will be coming to our place for Christmas." Stefan said. Everyone exchanged agreeing looks. "Excellent. You're all to arrive in the late afternoon, around 3-4 ish, so we can eat early." Damon said. Everyone nodded their heads. "Brilliant. Now for the bit that may cause a slight problem."  
"Everyone has to get a gift for everyone. That way it's fair and nobody gets more or less than anyone else." Stefan finished. Elena, Matt, Enzo and Bonnie agreed instantly. Caroline eyed Damon and Enzo for a moment before also agreeing. Jeremy glanced at Damon before nodding. Alaric and Tyler exchanged a glance, looked at Enzo for a moment, then agreed. "Fantastic. Gifts are to be delivered Christmas Eve, so you're not all arriving on the day ladled down with bags etc." There was a fair share of hums and agreement. "Well, that's everything. Have a good Christmas everyone." Damon smirked as they all parted to begin the gift hunt._

"I think we should start with Bonnie." Damon said. "Why me?"  
"Because your name was the first one I saw on one of these bags." He explained. They had sorted everyone's piles out so there was no fussing. Damon and Stefan handed over the bags and boxes to Bonnie, who moved to sit in front of the fire so she had more space. "Fine." She grabbed a small, rectangular box. "This one's from Enzo." Enzo smiled at her. She gently unwrapped the gift to reveal a black, velvet box. She opened it, and inside was the most beautiful necklace any of them had ever seen. "Oh my god, Enzo! This is amazing!" She smiled gratefully at the satisfied Enzo. "Thank you." Enzo nodded his welcome, then crossed to the fire and helped her put it on. "It looks gorgeous on you, love." He said lowly. 

Bonnie blushed but took the next present. It was a large, square box wrapped in sparkling blue wrapping paper. "Caroline. I should've known." She said, smiling over at her best friend. Caroline grinned back and gestured for Bonnie to unwrap it. She did, the box contained a dress. It was bright red and flowing, with sequins around the chest and on the thin straps. "Oh wow, Caroline! This is beautiful!" Caroline smiled.   
"You said you needed a new dress for that wedding you're going to, I figured you should look your absolute best!" The girls embraced, then Bonnie moved onto the next present. "Oo, Stefan." She said with a wink at the Salvatore brother. She unwrapped the rectangular present and uncovered a leather-bound book. "It's a Grimoire. I found it a few weeks ago in my father's old office. He confiscated it off of a witch in 1862, I thought it might be more use to you than me or Damon." He said with a smile. Bonnie opened it and flicked through the pages. "I've never seen anything like this before, it even shows you how to make potions! Stefan, thank you." She said, getting up to hug the youngest Salvatore. After that, she picked up the smallest present. 

"Damon." Bonnie said. The little square fit comfortably into her palm as she tore off the jet black wrapping paper. The blue box it encased contained a bright green stone that shimmered in the firelight. "Oh... my god. Damon, what the hell, where did you- oh my god!" She grinned and got up to fling her arms around Damon's neck. "I thought you were never gonna do that again." Damon said, his voice muffled in bonnie's shoulder. "I don't care, you know why I'm doing this!" Everyone exchanged confused glances. "What exactly is it?" Matt said.   
"It's a Calling Stone. I found a picture of one when Damon and I were in the prison world, and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I don't know how to use it exactly, I'm going to have to search every grimoire I own to try and find the spell, but it tracks anyone anywhere, cloaking spell or not, even if they're dead. It overrides all magic, it's the perfect navigator. So, no more fussing for location spells!" She exclaimed happily, smiling once again at Damon. Damon smirked back and nodded.

"Elena." Bonnie said, picking up what looked to be a rather heavy box. Said heavy box contained the entire collection of Harry Potter books and films. "Wow." Bonnie gasped, turning the boxset in her hand. "I was appalled when I found out you'd never seen or read them, so now you have no excuse." Elena chuckled. "Who knows, maybe you'll find a spell or two in there." Enzo cut in, making everyone laugh. He looked surprised he could get such a reaction, but laughed along anyway. 

Matt gave Bonnie a personalised CD containing all the songs they used to listen to when they're were younger, and some of their favourites now. " _Another Love_ , _Run Boy Run_ , Matt this is amazing, thank you!" Bonnie embraced Matt, then moved on to Tyler's gift. He got her a plait-style bracelet, with engravings in each plait. "Read it. The carvings, read them." Bonnie looked closer at the writing on the bracelet. "Oh my god!" Each plait had a name written on it. "Bonnie, Elena, Caroline, Jeremy, Tyler, Matt, Alaric, Stefan, Damon, Enzo. Tyler, this is wonderful, thank you!" She said as she carefully put the bracelet on then unwrapped Alaric's gift of a book containing the history of witches and warlocks in America. "Oh, wow. It has an entire chapter on Bennett witches! Thank you, Rick!" They exchanged thankful and welcome smiles before Bonnie grabbed the last present from Jeremy. It was an old-fashioned VHS tape titled 'The Best Days Of Our Life'. "I'm assuming you two have a player, right? If not, I'll have to go out and buy that, too." Stefan chuckled. "Don't worry, I've got one in my bedroom. I'll bring it down later." Bonnie smiled gratefully at Jeremy. "Thank you, Jer." They kissed.   
"ERGH NO!" Damon shouted, promptly leaving the room and returning with a half glass of bourbon. "Much better." He said, taking a sip. Everyone chuckled. "Matt! You're up next!" Stefan called out. 

Matt got a five-piece set of ties from Jeremy, the complete collection of Fast and Furious films from Stefan, a leather jacket from Caroline, a t-shirt that read 'Mr McUseless' from Damon, a photo album containing photos dating right back to '94 from Elena, a personalised watch from Bonnie, a hat with cups on each side that you can fill with whatever you like from Enzo, the first Die Hard movie from Alaric and a large poster of Christina Perri with the words 'I'm only human' printed on it in large lettering. Underneath it, Tyler had handwritten 'unlike most of my friends' which made everyone laugh. Matt thanked everyone, then it was Caroline's turn. 

Caroline seemed to take hours opening her presents. She made sure to thank everyone properly (even Damon) and took time to look at and love her presents. Enzo bought her a plain golden bracelet with a daisy charm dangling from it, Stefan gave her a ring that was a diamond encrusted in the top. Damon had bought her a slim, light blue, flowing gown for the upcoming college dance, Elena a miniature disco light that lit up the whole room and a photo album similar to the one she gave Matt. Alaric gave her a canvas with a picture of her and her mum on it, which nearly made her cry. She hugged Alaric tight, and everyone could hear her whispering her grieved thanks. Bonnie gave her a necklace with a heart that had the names Elena, Caroline and Bonnie engraved into it, Matt had got her a box full of her favourite sweet treats, Tyler a glow in the dark stuffed unicorn and a phone case with a picture of the group on it and Jeremy a framed picture of Elena, Bonnie and Caroline, one of him and Caroline at his 13th birthday party and one of the group (ironically, the same picture that was on the back of her new phone case). Caroline hugged the pictures close then thanked everyone one last time. After that was done with, Elena insisted that Jeremy go next. 

Jeremy was given a new dagger from Damon, much to Elena's disapproval. Bonnie had spelled it to kill any vampire or werewolf it stabbed (it contained wood clippings) and made it invisible to anyone outside the group, so he'd always be protected. Enzo had given him a bracelet that was magically enchanted to heal small wounds like 2nd degree burns and shallow stab wounds 'just in case'. Alaric had been to the nearest military store and bought him a bullet-proof vest for their missions, Tyler had given him some bottles of Vervain and syringes filled with wolfsbane, Matt a stash of wooden bullets laced with Vervain and wolfsbane, and Bonnie a book filled with martial arts techniques and ways to improve his current ones. Caroline bought him a pair of Nike running shoes and an armband to hold his phone, Stefan had bought him wireless earphones to go with it along with a set of 20kg dumbells, then he moved on to Elena's. It was a photo album, filled with pictures of them and their parents starting right back on the day Jeremy was born. Jeremy's eyes were wet as he flicked through all the pages, glancing at each picture, then hugged his sister closely. "Thank you." They all heard the emotion in his voice. 

After Jeremy was Alaric, who got a mixture of alcohol (mainly from Damon and Enzo), books/documentary DVDs and clothes. Then it was Tyler, whose favourite present was a Halloween werwolf mask and gloves from Damon, then Enzo struggled to lift a huge box filled with his favourite alcoholic drinks from Damon and Stefan 'to make up for past events'. He awkwardly opened the rest of his presents then just as awkwardly thanked everyone. "Sorry, I'm not used to getting presents. My family put me to work as soon as I turned four, a few weeks after I managed to escape the work I got sick then turned into a vampire, then I was on my own after that until I was captured by the Whitmoores. Never really had much time for Christmas." He finished with a smirk and a breath of laughter. "No matter, thank you all for these. They mean a lot." He stood, then moved to sit back down with one of the beers Damon and Stefan had put in the box of alcohol. 

After Enzo was Elena. She first took a small, circular box from Jeremy. It's contained a stack of DVDs that held footage from when they were kids ("oo, baby photos!" Damon exclaimed excitedly). "Wow, Jeremy. This is amazing! Where did you get all the videos?" Jeremy shrugged.   
"Some of it came from Dad's old video cameras, some from Mum's phone and the rest I found in old DVDs like those ones." Elena smiled at him.   
"Thank you, Jer." She said gratefully. Next, she gently took Enzo's present from her pile. It was only tiny, but it was heavy. Inside it was a plain black box that held a thick golden coin. "It's the Gilbert coin. Its one of a kind; each Founding Family has one, but they all got lost ages ago. I saw that at a pawn shop in New York a few months ago, cost a bloody fortune considering they don't even understand it's meaning." As Elena inspected the solid gold, Damon sat forward slightly to look at Enzo. "Hang on, if each Founding Family has one, where the hell is the Salvatore one?" Enzo shrugged and moved to stand next by the fire, leaning in the hearth. "No idea. Like I said, they were lost ages ago. I'm assuming you two didn't stay in Mystic Falls after you turned?" Both brothers shook their head. "Nope, paid a visit to father dearest before I left, but we didn't go back until at least thirty years later." Stefan said. Damon sat back in his chair with a sigh. Then, Elena surprised everyone by standing up and pulling Enzo into a warm hug. Enzo looked startled for a second, then hesitantly returned the hug. Everyone else was just as shocked, staring wide eyed at the embrace while Elena thanked Enzo. She pulled back and gave the still-startled man a gentle smile, lightly touching his cheek before sitting back down with her back to the fire and taking her next present, which was from Caroline. She's had a similar idea to Alaric, and had bought her two canvases: one with a picture of Bonnie, Caroline and Elena on the first day of high school, the other the last day. Elena hugged Caroline as well, thanking her. Next, she opened Bonnie's gift which was a long white quill. The feather looked almost exactly like the ones Bonnie had made float and Elena hugged it to her chest with a gasp. "Thank you, Bonnie. It's beautiful." The girls exchanged warm smiles, then Elena opened Alaric's present. He'd bought her a book on the history of Mystic Falls' Founding Families, a fitness tracking watch and a new set of headphones. Elena thanked him, then took Tyler's and Matt's present. They had teamed up to buy her an entire new set of jewellery. Sapphire earrings, along with a matching necklace and ring. They had then bought her a silver bracelet with an encrusted blue diamond on the top. Elena admired each piece of the jewellery and thanked both men. "Alright, own up, who couldn't think what to get her?" Damon said lightheartedly. Everyone chuckled. "Nah, we both thought of doing the same thing. I'd seen a set that was too expensive for me to afford but I knew she'd like, so Matt suggested we go half each on it." Tyler explained. Damon pulled a face that read 'fair enough' then returned to slouching on the couch. Stefan's present was the largest in the pile. It was a tall, rectangular box that held the most beautiful dress Elena had ever seen. It was a silver-gold colour the seemed to shimmer in the light. The flowing part of the dress felt like water flowing through her hands, the body glittering in the firelight. "Oh my god, Stefan, it's... beautiful! I've never seen anything like this before!" Stefan smiled at her and exchanged a look with Damon, who nodded. "It was our mother's. Father bought it for her for her birthday, one of her last. She looked just as amazing as you will wearing it." Elena looked to Damon, who smiled at her. "Wow. Thank you... both of you." Damon smiled again. 

Damon's present was a book. It had a brown-red cover, with '1860-1864' printed on the front in gold lettering. Inside, there was a message. 

'In here is a collection of pictures of the Gilbert and Salvatore families dated 1860-1864. The images were collected and placed by Giuseppe Salvatore, John Gilbert and Damon Salvatore.'

"Our father was close friends with John Gilbert. When I was about 21, they decided to make this photo album. Stefan was only about 14, so he didn't get to take part, but Giuseppe let me take and choose some photos." Elena opened the first page. Each picture was labelled with who was in it and from which family. The first picture was a picture of a man with a teenage boy. The man was obviously Damon, that made the boy...  
'Brothers Damon and Stefan Salvatore, 1860'  
"Oh my god, you're both so young!" Damon and Stefan chuckled. "Yeah, well I was only maybe 13 in that picture." Stefan said. Elena got up and kissed Damon. "Thank you." She said, leaning her forehead against his then moving to hug Stefan. 

Stefan had similar reactions to Enzo. He awkwardly opened his presents, then awkwardly thanked everyone. "Hang on, you forgot mine you git!" Damon exclaimed. Stefan looked back down at his pile. There was indeed a long rectangular present left wrapped. Stefan unwrapped it, then opened the navy blue box it contained. "Oh my god!" He exclaimed, immediately dropping it again. "Hey! Don't break it!" Damon said, standing up to put his empty bourbon glass on the table as Stefan inspected the contents of the box. It was an old wristwatch. As Damon turned around to sit back down on the couch, Stefan stood and enveloped him in a tight hug. Damon froze and tensed, not used to this kind of contact from his younger brother. After a few seconds however, he hugged back. "A thank you would've been good enough, you know." Stefan chuckled and released Damon, turning to look at the confused faces. "This was my first ever watch. I got it in 1870, I thought I'd lost it around 1882. Is it a replica?" Damon shook his head. "Nope. Found it. For some reason that watch was in the treasury. Knew I recognised it, but it did take me way too long to fix. I almost gave up on it when the damn thing started ticking." Stefan smiled at his brother again.   
"Thank you." Damon nodded his head then moved to swap places with Stefan. 

Damon wasn't used to getting Christmas presents. He and Stefan always exchanged something small when they were on the ups, but he hadn't had a pile like this since he was a child. That was exactly why he grinned like a toddler and grabbed the closest gift to him. "Enzo!" He exclaimed happily. Everyone laughed as Damon enthusiastically tore open the wrapping paper, bits of it flying everywhere. It was a spinning top with a red and yellow striped design. Unexpectedly, Damon burst into laughter. Enzo joined in a second later. As both men calmed down nearly a minute later, Damon sighed. "It's an inside joke, don't worry." Enzo chuckled again as he wiped tears from his eyes. "Ah, memories." Damon snorted again, then grabbed the next present from Caroline. He ripped the paper open, bits going everywhere once again. It contained a large poster, clearly home printed, of him and Elena. Damon's eager smile immediately softened. Elena was kissing Damon on the cheek and he was grinning and hugging her. Bonnie had been the one taking the picture while Caroline laughed in the background. Damon chuckled. "That's my favourite picture of us. Thanks, Caroline." The blonde smiled sweetly at him. Damon, whose eagerness has softened somewhat, took Bonnie's present from the pile. It was a pancake maker. Damon chuckled as he held it. "Hang on, Damon rarely cooks." Bonnie sighed.   
"No, but he makes good pancakes." Both of them exchanged knowing smiles. Next, Damon took Elena's present. It was a locket, with a picture of them inside. It was the night Damon had danced with her for Miss Mystic Falls, before they were together. Damon was wearing his suit, grinning at the camera, Elena that beautiful blue dress, also smiling as she took the picture. "That was probably the best dance of my life." He got up to kiss her on the cheek, then placed the locket around his neck. Next up was Tyler, Matt and Jeremy's. "I'm not surprised you three teamed up- holy crap!" Damon dropped the present and a huge snake leaped out of it. Everyone laughed as Damon continued to shout at the box, crawling backwards away from it. "It's fake, Damon!" Elena managed to shout through her laughter. Damon stopped trying to get away from it and looked closer. It was indeed a false snake. "You bastards." He said, renewing everyone's laughter. Even Stefan was clutching his sides as he tried to breathe, tears falling rapidly down his face. "We all had- ha ha- a similar idea, so we... oh my god- teamed up to pull the same prank!" Jeremy laughed. "I hate you all." Damon said, then he too joined in with the chuckling. Damon eventually sighed and moved on to the next present from Alaric. It was a bottle of bourbon. "Finest bottle in America. Make it last, that stuff was expensive." Alaric said. Damon held up the bottle and inspected it. "Wow, it's strong as well. Thanks, Rick." Alaric nodded at him. Finally, Damon moved on to Stefan's gift. "Hang on, you already got me a gift, you fixed my car. Not gonna be another snake, is it?" He asked, holding up the shoebox- sized parcel. "Just open it." Stefan said, a smile adorning his features. Damon held the box at arms length and took off the paper. It was a plain white box, with lettering written on the lid in Damon's handwriting. 

' _Damon and Stefan-  
The original Salvatore brothers_' 

"Stefan, is this-?" He asked, feeling himself go slightly pale. Stefan nodded, his smile broadening slightly. "No way. I never thought I'd see this again."   
"What is it?" Elena asked innocently.   
"It's a box that Stefan and I made when Stefan was about 7. We decided that over the years, we would fill it with memories we made. We filled it right up until we left in 1864, I thought it was gone." Damon took of the lid and almost gasped. Everything was still in here, including a recent addition. It was a modern printed picture, taken barely a few months ago. Damon and Stefan were sat in the very room they were in now, laughing. Stefan was pointing at Damon, wide grin on his face, and Damon was trying to sip his bourbon through his laughter. "Who took this?" He asked, holding it up.   
"I did.” Elena said. “It's rare to see you two having so much fun together these days, I had to capture the moment." Damon smiled at her. The box had stamps from their holidays, a little toy bear the size of Damon's thumb that he had made for Stefan's 9th birthday, and more memorabilia from their childhood and teen years. Damon smiled as he looked through the box, feeling his eyes fill with tears at the memories. He took a deep breath as one managed to make its way out of his eye. He let it slide down to his chin, then he wiped it away and smiled, looking at his brother. "Wow. Thanks, Stef. I never thought-" his voice caught in his throat, but Stefan nodded at him anyways. The brothers embraced, then decided they should clean up and they should start easing off for the night. 

Once everything was away and everyone had gone, including Elena, Damon took the box again and sat on the floor facing the fire, then started going through it properly. Fresh tears made their way down his cheeks as he remembered the time when the only thing he had to worry about was his father. He was so immersed in the memories, he didn't hear Stefan come into the room behind him. "You ok?" Damon almost jumped at the sound of his brother's voice. "Yeah. Yeah, just... reminiscing in old times." Stefan chuckled and sat opposite Damon. He took a few items in his hand and did the same as Damon. They exchanged tearful memories that night, remembering their human, care-free selves. It was the best Christmas either of them had ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I'm sorry that was so long, if you read it all then Thankyou!! I tried to keep it as in character as possible, but I think Damon was a little OOC. Anyways, reviews and requests welcome as always. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	5. Giuseppe Salvatore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **I despise Giuseppe with every inch of my being, and I'm proud of Stefan for killing him. I slightly changed the story of how Damon and Stefan became vampires to suit this one.  
>  Characters: The usual gang barring Alaric and Jeremy.   
> Pairings: Damon/Elena (no slash)  
> Warnings: mentions and descriptions of child abuse   
> Summary: Giuseppe Salvatore is in town. Nobody knows how, but he's here.**

"STEFAN! STEFAN, GET DOWN HERE NOW!" Damon yelled, not taking his eyes off of the figure stood in front of him. They had yet to greet each other, but Damon already knew the man was no friend. Stefan was at Damon's side in a second, and instinctively took a couple of steps back. "This is not happening." He whispered.  
"Hello to you too, boys." Giuseppe Salvatore smiled his wicked smile, making Damon's insides churn. "Would you do your father a favour and tell me how I got here?" Both brothers just stared at him incredulously. "Well? The last thing I remember is Stefan ripping my throat out, then here I am! How did I get here, and where exactly is here?" He added, looking around the Boarding House. "You're in Mystic Falls." Stefan said, moving next to Damon. "It's 2012, you're at the Salvatore Boarding House and we have no idea how you got here." Giuseppe took a step back in shock. "2012? How the hell is it 2012? It was 1864 just a minute ago!" Damon then shocked the other men by moving forward and grabbing Giuseppe's shoulder. "We can touch each other then. Excellent." He said sarcastically, stepping back into place next to Stefan. "We're expecting company for a dinner party. Make yourself at home in the next room, we can sort this out later." Stefan said. Giuseppe didn't respond. Instead, he walked over to Damon's stash of bourbon and poured himself half a glass. "Careful, that stuff's stronger than you remember- ok then." Damon said as Giuseppe swallowed the whole contents in one mouthful. 

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Stefan moved to answer it, but Giuseppe stepped in front of him. "No no, it's fine Stefan, I'll get it." Stefan stopped in his tracks and nodded as Giuseppe threw open the door. "Hey! Oh, sorry, who are you?" Caroline asked as she walked onto the threshold followed by Bonnie and Matt. "Oh please forgive me, I'm Giuseppe Salvatore. I'm Damon and Stefan's father." It was almost comical. All three teens' jaws dropped open at the same time before they came to their senses and closed them. "I'm sorry, aren't you... dead?" Caroline hesitantly asked. Giuseppe chuckled, making Damon's heart clench even more. "Yes, yes I was. The last thing I remember is dying in 1864, then waking up here about a minute ago. It's strange, my sons and I are going to solve the issue later. Please, sit down. Stefan, get these wonderful people a drink." Stefan nodded again. Neither brother had said a word since their friends' entry to the house. The teens took seats on the couches as Stefan poured them each a glass of bourbon. Damon slid his way to his brother's side and whispered so nobody could hear him. "What the hell are we gonna do? He's playing Mr Nice Guy, none of them know what he's done!" Stefan shrugged. "We'll just have to hope he continues playing Mr Nice Guy and explain to them later." Damon glared at his brother. He didn't want Giuseppe anywhere near his friends, especially not Elena. 

Speaking of, the next ones to arrive were Elena, Tyler and Enzo. Damon opened the door and greeted them upon entry. Elena hugged him, Tyler thanked him for the invite and they both made their way into the living room where they immediately came to a halt. Enzo, after sharing a tense look with Damon, did the same. "Oh, I know who you are." Enzo said slowly. Giuseppe greeted them with a smile only Damon, Stefan and Enzo could see was cold, and moved forwards. "Please, come in. I'm Giuseppe Salvatore, I'm Damon and Stefan's father. As I was explaining to these wonderful people already here, my sons and I are going to solve this later, because we don't know how I managed to get here." Elena smiled and shook his hand, announcing herself as Damon's girlfriend. Damon's stomach lurched violently as he saw the glint in Giuseppe's eye. If it came to it, he would use Elena in order to hurt Damon like he used to with Stefan in the 1800s. Tyler also shook his hand, but Enzo glared at the middle aged man. Damon pricked his ears to here what his best friend had to say. "I know who you are, I know what you've done. If you so much as harm a hair on any of your sons' heads, you'll have me to answer to... and I'm a vampire, so you probably don't want to mess with me." Then Enzo stepped back and smiled in an almost friendly way at Giuseppe before taking a seat next to Matt. Giuseppe hesitated for a second before turning and facing the group. 

"Well, are we all here?" He addressed the other Salvatores. Both nodded their heads in dutiful silence. "Excellent. If you would all like to make your way through to the dining area, Damon and Stefan can serve us starters." As the others exchanged excited, quiet conversation, the brothers made their way to the kitchen. "What the hell are we going to do? He still has that damn hold over us!" Damon exclaimed.   
"I have no clue. Enzo, any ideas?" Stefan asked thin air. Damon spun around to look behind him. "What?" Stefan shushed, holding up a finger to silence him. "Listen." Damon pricked his ears and sought out his best friend's hushed voice. "... keep an eye on things, but I doubt there's much you can do. If Giuseppe tries anything, I can intervene but you're gonna have to be careful with how you act around him. We can't have him flipping out." Damon nodded his head, then remembered Enzo couldn't see him. "Yeah, alright. I doubt he'll try anything with others around, but who knows?" Damon and Stefan put the soup in bowls, then placed them on trays and walked back to the dining room where everyone was seated at the table.

Giuseppe was seated at the head of the long table. The two chairs either side of him were empty, reserved for Damon and Stefan. On Stefan's left side was Elena, then Tyler, Enzo and Bonnie. On Damon's right was Matt, then Caroline. The brothers gave everyone a bowl of soup, then took their seats opposite one another. They shared a nervous glance, then Giuseppe spoke up. "Well tuck in, everyone! Wouldn't want this delicious food to go cold now, would we?" He announced cheerily. Everyone except Damon, Stefan and Enzo chuckled and started eating their soup. Damon, despite being hungry all day, had no appetite. From the look on Stefan's face, his younger brother felt the same. He stared down at his soup, stirring it slowly with his spoon. "Don't play with your food, boy, eat it up before it gets cold." Giuseppe suddenly chipped in. Damon felt a slight pang of fear and immediately began spooning soup slowly into his mouth. Stefan did the same, but not before sharing a nervous look with his brother. "So, Giuseppe. You say your Damon and Stefan's father?" Elena asked as everyone continued to eat their soup. "Yes, yes indeed I am." He smiled at her and Damon nearly threw up his food. "So, I never learnt, how did you die, if you don't mind me asking?" She asked. Giuseppe opened his mouth to answer, but it was Stefan who got there first. "I killed him." Silence spread around the table. "He was my first feed, the one who completed my transition from human to vampire." Caroline and Bonnie gasped.   
"Stefan! How can you kill your own father?" Caroline looked appalled at the mere thought of Stefan doing such a thing so Damon replied without even thinking about the consequences.   
"Because he's a dick." The effect was instant. Damon felt a sting on the left side of his face as Giuseppe's slap reverberated around the room. Damon automatically raised his hands in surrender to cover his face, instinct kicking in. He felt a sharp stab of fear, his heart suddenly pounding and his breathing heavier. "Don't you ever, EVER, use that kind of language in this household again, ESPECIALLY not against your own family!" Giuseppe roared. "Do you understand me, boy?" He shouted. Damon flinched again, but nodded rapidly. "Use your voice boy, don't be so pathetic!" Damon cleared his throat, then nodded again. "Yes. Y-yes father, I-I understand." He stuttered. "Good. Now sit up straight, stop being so dramatic." Damon hurried out of his cowering slouch, staring back down at his now empty bowl, unwilling to make eye contact with anyone. He was ashamed that Giuseppe could still have that kind of effect on him after all these years. He was not about to admit that weakness to everyone else. "What the hell was that?" He heard Matt asked.   
"What? I was merely punishing my son for swearing. I don't condone that sort of language." Giuseppe replied. Caroline spoke up next. "Yes, but Damon is over 170 years old and even so, you don't hit your son just for swearing! You shouldn't hit him at all!" Damon glanced up at his father. Giuseppe was pretending to look shocked and appalled at himself. "Oh I am sorry, is that not the norm these days?" He said. "Back where I'm from, 1864, hitting your children when they do something they shouldn't is normal. I'm so sorry, I must catch up on modern day punishment." Everyone seemed to release a relieved breath which appalled Damon. How could they be so accepting of that excuse? "Damon, I do hope you can forgive me." Damon didn't move or say anything. He was still in shock that Giuseppe had gotten away with doing that so easily. "Damon?" Damon jerked his head in Giuseppe's direction. "Hm? Oh. Yes- yes, father, I forgive... forgive you." His voice sounded strained even to his ears, but it did the trick. Everyone relaxed properly, and Giuseppe smiled, clapping his hands together and rubbing them. "Well, if we've all finished our soup. Boys, could you bring in the next course?" Damon and Stefan stood quickly. "Yes, father." They chorused in a regimented fashion. The brothers placed all of the empty bowls back on the trays and carried them back to the kitchen. 

"You alright?" Stefan asked Damon as soon as the bowls were safely in the sink. "Yeah." Damon replied, then placed both hands on the counter, lowered his head and took a deep breath. "No. He still has that hold of us, and you saw how quickly he got the others to forgive him." He said quietly. Stefan nodded his head and leaned against the fridge. "Yeah, let's just get through this, then we can get rid of everyone and find a way to put him back in 1864." Damon nodded his head and picked up a dish filled with green beans and one with mashed potatoes. Stefan took the ginormous plate of beef, then they headed back through to the dining area. 

Three trips to the kitchen and back later, the table was filled with food. "Wow, boys, you've surely done a good job here." Giuseppe smiled and clapped his sons on the shoulder lightheartedly, making both men flinch. "Come now, everyone serve what you like, there's more than enough for everyone!" Conversation ensued as people piled vegetables and meat onto their plates. Caroline and Bonnie got into a debate over who was going to play at some upcoming college gig, Matt, Tyler and Elena were talking about something that happened in middle school and Enzo was surveying it all carefully, keeping a particularly close eye on the three men seated at the top of the table. "So boys." Giuseppe said, loud enough to make everyone else's conversation cease. "I have come to understand that you two are vampires, fair enough. I must say though, how have you survived this long?" Stefan let out a breath of laughter. "A combination of luck, skill and intelligence." Giuseppe laughed heartily. "Intelligence? I didn't think Damon was capable of such a thing!" He laughed along with everyone else barring Enzo and the brothers. "Yeah, well, how else am I still sat here, in the... delightful company of you?" He smirked sarcastically. Caroline sighed. "Yes, it must be great to have your father back after him being dead all this time!" She smiled at both brothers. "Yep... it's fantastic." Stefan strained. Giuseppe picked up on the sarcasm and shot him a glare. "That's no tone to take with your father, Stefan." Damon looked up from his half full plate at his brother. They made eye contact, then Stefan shook his head. "No of course not, father. It's... wonderful to have you back." He briefly smiled at Giuseppe, then returned to look at Damon. Everyone resumed conversation after that, until Giuseppe announced that it was time for dessert. 

"You sure you're alright?" Damon nodded his head. "Yeah, just don't toy with him. I don't want him getting you." He frowned. Stefan clapped his shoulder as he made to walk past, but the older vampire flinch. Stefan backtracked so he was in front of Damon. "Hey, it's only me. Giuseppe won't do anything bad tonight, not while everyone else is here." Damon nodded his head. He hated how vulnerable Giuseppe made him feel, how much fear his father had instilled into him. "You don't know what he did to me, Stef. Trust me, I don't want it happening to you because I could barely handle it." With that, he grabbed a tray of bowls and left Stefan in the kitchen. On the way back to the dining room, he took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. He can't let Giuseppe control him. This was supposed to be fun night with his friends and he'd be damned if he let someone as worthless as Giuseppe ruin that. 

Dessert passed with no events. Everyone laughed, exchanged conversation and complimented the food. Even Stefan managed a smile at something Tyler said. Giuseppe told the story of when he taught Stefan how to ride a horse, then instructed everyone to rise and go back into the sitting room for after-dinner drinks. The other Salvatores cleared the table, taking every glass, dish and piece of cutlery into the kitchen for washing. "That went well." Stefan said. Damon huffed out a long breath. "Yeah, until he starts telling childhood stories around the fire." They left the kitchen and joined the others in the other room. Giuseppe had saved seats on the couch either side of him for the brothers by the left side of the fire. Caroline, Elena and Bonnie had occupied the right side of the fire, with Tyler, Enzo and Matt opposite the flames. Everyone was exchanging hearty conversation when Damon and Stefan joined them, until Elena cleared her throat and addressed Giuseppe. 

"So, Giuseppe, I heard that the original Salvatore brothers, aka Damon and Stefan, were shot dead by their father. Was it really you who killed them?" Giuseppe chuckled heartily as everyone else fell silent to listen. "Is that what they said? No, I remember the day my boys died like it was yesterday. We were out, there was rumoured to be a vampire lurking around. The boys came with us, and I saw someone stood behind Damon. Damon... he didn't see me. I aimed my gun at the man behind him, I couldn't risk shouting at Damon to move lest I attract the attention of the other man, so I waited until I had a clear shot. I took it just as Damon moved. I shot Damon in the chest." Nearly everyone gasped. Caroline clapped her hands over her mouth, Elena did the same. Enzo rolled his eyes, looking disgusted at the excuse. "I ran over to Damon, trying to wake him. I didn't see it, but one if my comrades thought Stefan was the vampire so, only being able to see his silhouette, he shot Stefan as well. I watched my youngest son fall to the floor, dead along with my oldest." Damon was infuriated. He couldn't help it, his temper took over. "That's a lie." He snarled.   
"I beg your pardon?" Giuseppe sounded equally angry.   
"I said that's a lie. You deliberately shot us both dead!" Damon shouted. Giuseppe struck him across the cheek. "How dare you accuse me of such things!" Damon's body trembled with fear as he moved as far away from his father as he could without falling off of the couch. Enzo stood, but Stefan waved him back down. "Sorry... sorry, father." Damon stammered. Giuseppe smiled acceptingly, but Stefan intervened. He stood and walked a few steps away from Giuseppe before turning to face him. "No, Damon, don't be sorry. Let me tell you how it really happened." He said angrily. "Stefan, sit down. Stop being so stupid." Giuseppe growled. Stefan shook his head defiantly. 

"No, I won't. Damon and I were trying save someone we, at the time, loved. Katherine." The majority of the group stiffened at the name. "My father here had tricked me, slipped me vervain that I knew nothing about. When Katherine and I were having a moment, she bit me and obviously the vervain affected her. That's when father captured and took her. Damon and I were merely trying to save her." Stefan's voice quietened then, as though he was reliving his worst memory. "Father came out of nowhere. Damon didn't see him, but I turned to face him. He aimed his gun at Damon, I told him not to shoot. He didn't listen. I watched as he shot Damon in the chest." Everyone gasped, even Enzo. He hadn't heard much about this story before, considering Damon barely even knew it happened. Giuseppe glared at Stefan, but even he seemed to know there was no stopping his youngest son. Damon had stopped cowering, his eyes begging Stefan to stop in fear of what Giuseppe will do when everyone was gone. Stefan acknowledged the look, but continued anyway. "I ran over to Damon. I thought he was dead for good, I didn't know he had vampire blood in his system. Then, when I turned to face father again, he shot me." Caroline had tears in her eyes. Giuseppe sat forwards slightly in his seat and went to speak, but Stefan held up a hand, shocking the man into silence. "I'm not done. I woke up first, it was still dark. There was nobody around, not even my father. The first thing I noticed was the hunger, then the fact that my wound had healed. That's how I figured out I was a vampire. I went over to Damon and he hadn't moved an inch. I pulled the bullet out of his chest and then picked him up." Stefan turned away from the group to look at his father. "I was forced to carry... _carry_ my brother, who I thought was _dead_ , for _miles_ until I was lucky enough to come across a farmhouse. I sat by his side all night, willing him to wake up. When he never did, I planned to bury him the next day. I was about to go outside and _bury_ my _dead older brother_ when he finally woke up. Do you have any idea the relief I felt? Then the pain when I told him that Katherine was gone?" He turned back to the group. "I'd heard that they had put all the vampires in a church and burned them alive." He said before turning back to Giuseppe. Damon remembered the moment Stefan was describing all too well, the moment he was told that Katherine was dead. The agony that had stabbed his chest was more painful than the bullet wound. "Do you have any idea what it was like to have to tell my older brother that his love was dead, to watch him crumble right in front of me? I heard his cries from _outside of the farmhouse_ and where were you? Out celebrating that you'd killed a load of vampires along with your own sons? Your own ‘problematic’ sons?" Giuseppe looked furious. Stefan was literally outing him as a useless father. Damon knew Stefan would face serious consequences for this. Damon's only way of protecting Stefan was to do something worse. He stood and moved next to Stefan, looking at his father. "Nah, he didn't care about us, Stefan. Didn't care when he beat me every chance he got. Punched, kicked, _whipped_." Gasps spread around the room. "What? He did that?" Elena looked horrified.   
"Oh yes." Damon snarled, not taking his eyes off his father. The fear he felt was paralysing, but he pushed through it. "How many times did you beat me until I was barely conscious? How many times did you beat me until I actually was unconscious? How many times did I only survive because Stefan found me, bleeding out of gaping horsewhip wounds on the barn floor? How many times did we flinch when you so much as rustled your newspaper because you instilled a fear in me and Stefan that nothing else could? How many scars did I have on my arms and back from your cigars and whips, scars that only went away because I became a vampire?" Everyone in the room looked appalled. Tears were streaming down the girls' faces, the boys looked like they were going to puke and Enzo looked furious. "You have no idea what you've just done." Giuseppe said lowly, standing up. The brothers took an instinctive couple of steps back, but Enzo sped in front of them. "Remember what I said." Giuseppe eyed him up and down. "I think it's time for everyone to leave." Enzo said. Stefan turned to face everyone. "I agree. You should go, thanks for coming. We'll try this again when our house isn't home to a monster." Caroline stood and walked up to Stefan.   
"We are not leaving you here with him." Enzo, without taking his eyes off of Giuseppe, replied. "It's alright, love. I'll take care of them. Three century old vampires against one human old man, I think we can take him." Damon turned as well. "Yeah, we'll be fine, you can go." 

Reluctantly, everyone left. The brothers turned back to face their father. "You can take a room in the east wing." Stefan said. "We're done for tonight." Giuseppe made to move forwards, but Enzo shammed a strong hand against his chest. "You will pay for what you've done tonight!" He roared at his sons. Enzo shook his head.  
"I don't think so. Go to bed." He tried to compel Giuseppe, but it was useless. "He wears vervain. There's no point trying, we don't even know where it is." Giuseppe smiled coldly. "That's right. You will both pay for what you've done, I don't care how long I have to wait." Then, he stormed off to the east wing.   
"I'll stay the night, if you two don't mind." Enzo said. "In fact, I think I'll stay until he's gone. Bit of outside interference never hurt anyone." He smiled. Stefan clapped Damon on the shoulder again, and Damon flinched. "You're alright, he's gone to bed. I'm gonna head up, I'll see you two in the morning." With that, Stefan sped off to his room. "You're still scared of him, aren't you?" Enzo said. Damon slowly spun to face him. "Yeah. And I hate it. Come on, there's a blow up in my closet, you can take that." He made to walk away, but Enzo spoke. "Hang on. You have about 60 rooms in the house, and you want me to take a blow up?" Damon nodded his head.   
"Yeah, and could you get Stefan? I'd rather have us all in one room while he's here, I need to watch out for Stefan." Enzo gave him a confused look, but did what Damon asked anyway. 

Within ten minutes, all three were comfortably settled in Damon's room. Damon and Stefan had taken the bed, laying side by side. Enzo had the blow up mattress on the floor on Stefan's side, so he had a clear view of the door. Stefan fell asleep first, laying on his side facing away from Damon. Damon could hear Enzo was still awake. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but he was glad Enzo was here to protect them. Damon knew that, should Giuseppe flip, he would be useless. Both brothers would freeze and simply succumb to whatever Giuseppe decided to do. Enzo made him feel a little safer. With that thought in mind, Damon's eyes fell shut. 

As Damon's breathing finally slowed and evened out, Enzo sighed. He knew he made Damon feel just that slightest bit safer, knew how Damon would react if Giuseppe attacked. He stayed awake mulling things over for a few hours until his ears caught someone walking down the corridor. The door creaked open, and Enzo quickly closed his eyes. Cracking one open slightly, he saw Giuseppe carrying his belt. "Did you really think you could win against three incredibly powerful vampires?" Giuseppe froze. "That's right, supernatural senses. Stop being ridiculous and go back to bed you useless sack of potatoes." Enzo glared at the older man, who seemed taken aback at his choice of insult. Nevertheless, he backed out of the room without saying anything. "Wise choice." Enzo smiled to himself as he pricked his ears to hear Giuseppe climbing back into his bed. Satisfied, he let his eyes close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **That was an incredibly long chapter and I apologise, but I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews and requests always welcome. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	6. Before I Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Ok I got this idea from a Harry Potter Tumblr post I saw, so naturally I had to write a TVD version.  
>  Characters- Usual gang, Lily, Valerie, Klaus and Elijah  
> Pairings: Bonnie/Enzo, Damon/Elena, Stefan/Caroline  
> Warnings: None  
> Summary: everyone wants to do something before they die.**

"Ok, everyone has to write down one thing. And one thing only. It can only be one sentence, but it can be anything as simple as 'before I die, I want to learn how to make pasta' or it can be something complex. Be honest with yourself, and take this seriously. Any questions?" Caroline finished her brief to nods, smiles and hums of agreement (she ignored the huff that came from Damon), then handed the A5 notebook to Stefan. "You can start, we'll go in a circle." She said, resuming her seat next to Bonnie. Stefan looked slightly unsure of himself and the pen hovered above the paper for a short minute before he scribbled something down and folded the paper to cover his writing. He then passed the book on to Enzo, who sighed and shared a glance with Bonnie. He thought for a second, then quickly wrote something down. Smirking at his girlfriend, he tossed the notebook onto the next couch where the next person, Matt, caught it. Matt nodded thanks, then immediately started writing. "Already knew what I was gonna say before Caroline had even finished talking." He said. A few people snickered in response as Matt passed the book onto Elena. She smiled sweetly, then carefully wrote her answer down. After her was Bonnie, who also smiled as she wrote, then Caroline, who shared a look with Alaric before also writing hers down. Next came Damon. He was slouched on the end seat of the couch, and sighed. "I'll pass, but thanks." He got a few outraged noises. "Come on, Damon, we're all doing it!" Enzo said. "Nah, I'll just watch, I'm good." Elena hit his arm lightly. "Come on, don't be such a spoil-sport!" Damon shared a look with Stefan, one of the only people who had remained neutral. His younger brother nodded slightly, then Damon sighed and took the notebook from Caroline. "Fine, if it pleases you." Damon thought for about ten seconds then scrawled something down and folded the paper like everyone else. Caroline smiled as Damon threw the book over to Jeremy, then moved to sit on the right hand side of Stefan. Jeremy wrote something down, then Tyler, then Alaric. After him was Klaus. Klaus and Elijah had both remained solemn throughout the process. Neither felt like they should be there, but Caroline had been willing to give them both a chance to participate. Klaus took the notebook and slowly wrote down his wish, then folded the paper neatly and passed it to Elijah, who seemed to already know what he was going to say. He folded the page then, rather than tossing it, he slowly stood from the armchair he was sat in and walked across the room to hand the book to Lily. She smiled at him, then gracefully wrote hers down in cursive. She covered her answer, then gave it to Valerie, who was last. Once she was done, she handed the now separated page and the notebook back to Caroline, who smiled confidently. "Excellent! I'm going to read these out in reverse order, because normal order is boring!" A few people chuckled at that.   
"Valerie: 'Before I die, I want to travel the world.'" Valerie shrugged. "Trapped in a prison world for a century, I've missed out on quite a lot." A few people nodded their heads, then Caroline unfolded the page a bit more. "Lily." Lily stiffened slightly, Stefan and Damon's eyes flicked over to her before going back to Caroline. "'Before I die, I want my... I want my sons to love me.'" Stefan sighed in an almost bored way and Damon scoffed, rolling his eyes and muttering "classic". Most people disregarded the reaction, but Lily's face fell slightly. "Anyways." Caroline continued. "Elijah: 'Before I die, I want to help Klaus rediscover his nobility.'" The brothers shared a look that only they seemed able to read. They nodded at each other, then Caroline continued. "Klaus: 'Before I die, I want my siblings to respect me again.'" Once again, the brothers shared a look. Elijah clapped his younger brother's shoulder, then looked back to Caroline. "Alaric: 'Before I die, I want to be outlived.'" Damon laughed aloud at that.   
"Mate, that's already happened! How many times have you died now? Six? Seven?" With that, everyone joined in on the laughter. Even Lily and Klaus managed to chuckle at the joke. "Damon? Shut. Up." Alaric deadpanned, but he was grinning as well. Caroline calmed everyone down, then returned to the paper. "Tyler: 'Before I die, I want to gain control.'" Almost everyone nodded at that. They all knew how difficult Tyler found turning every month, and how difficult it was to keep his anger in check around the full moon. "Jeremy: 'Before I die, I want to walk the Great Wall of China.'" A few people snickered at that, and Jeremy shrugged. "Damon." Damon shook his head, interrupting the blonde. "Nah-ah, don't want mine reading out, but thanks." Caroline snorted slightly.   
"Well, I've already read it and I'm the biggest gossip in town, everyone will know before the sun goes down anyway." Damon thought for a second, then sighed.   
"Fine, that’s technically blackmail, but get it over with." Caroline smiled and unfolded the paper. "Hang on, I thought you already read it!" Caroline smiled at him, then read his answer. "Damon: 'Before I die...' wow. 'Before I die I want to be... forgiven.'" A few people exchanged looks at that, but Damon kept his eyes trained on the floor. Caroline cleared her throat, then moved on. "Me. So it's fair, Elena read mine out." Elena smiled then took the notebook. "Caroline: 'Before I die, I want my girls to be safe.'" Caroline shared a smile with Alaric, then took the notebook back from Elena. "Bonnie: 'Before I die, I want to find safe magic.'" A few people smiled at her at that. They all knew the consequences magic can have. "Elena: 'Before I die, I want to live.'" Despite the comical possibility of the sentence, everyone knew what she meant. Nearly everyone in the room was immortal, some had lived several lifetimes already, but they all know the importance of living a full life. "Matt: 'Before I die, I want to find love.'" Matt shrugged as a few people smiled at him. "Enzo: 'Before I die, I want to marry my girl.'" Enzo wrapped his arm around Bonnie's shoulder. He had moved to take Damon's seat on her other side earlier on. "And finally... Stefan." Stefan tensed slightly, so Damon spared him an agitated glance. "'Before I die, I...'" Caroline took a deep breath. "'...I want to make peace with my brother.'" Damon looked to his left at Stefan, but Stefan's eyes were burning a hole in the floor. Damon gave a small smirk, then turned back to the group. "We done?" Caroline smiled.  
"Yep. I'm gonna stick this..." She moved across to the stairs, sticking it on the wall there, along with a yellow highlighter. "...there. When our 'Want' has been fulfilled, we simply come over and highlight it." Everyone agreed. 

Valerie's was the first to be fulfilled. "How was the trip?" Stefan asked as she walked through the door to the Boarding House. Caroline, Elena, Damon, Enzo and Bonnie were also there. "Excellent. Two weeks of none-stop travelling? Perfect." She walked over to the stairs and took the highlighter. "'Before I die, I want to travel the world.'" She said as she finished highlighting with a smile. The others also shared smirks and smiles as Valerie left the Boarding House. 

"The girls... they're safe." Caroline said with a relieved chuckle. "As safe as they're gonna get anyway, but they're safe."   
"Oh, Caroline, that's amazing! Alaric must've done a good job." Elena said over the phone. Caroline smiled again. "Yeah, yeah he did. Anyway, gotta go, I have to make a trip to the Boarding House."   
"See you soon, I'm already there." Caroline laughed again and hung up. She blasted her favourite song as she drove to the Boarding House, singing along and dancing in her sheer joy at finding her girls almost completely safe. Once she was there, she found Stefan, Damon and Elena already waiting for her. She kissed Stefan, hugged Elena and smiled at Damon before moving over and highlighting her Want. "'Before I die, I want my girls to be safe.'" She sighed. "Alaric's taken them to his sister's old place. They're far away from here, and safe." 

Enzo and Bonnie grinned as they made their way back down the aisle. The ceremony was over, people were starting to rise from their seats when Enzo suddenly stopped. "Hang on. EVERYONE WHO IS OF CLOSE FRIEND STATUS TO EITHER ME OR BONNIE, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, GET YOUR ARSES TO THE BOARDING HOUSE!"  
"Hang on!" Damon shouted, outraged.   
"Hey!" Stefan yelled at the same time amidst all the confused looks Enzo was getting from his friends. "What?" He asked neutrally.   
"That's our house!" The brothers shouted in sync with each other. "I know, only for a minute." Enzo smiled and turned away from the appalled looking Salvatores.   
"'Before I die, I want to marry my girl.'" Enzo smiled at his newly wedded wife as he highlighted the paper. "I nearly forgot, not gonna lie." A few people snickered and Damon clapped his friend on the back. 

"Hey." Tyler greeted Damon as he walked into the Boarding House. "You ever learn to knock?" Damon sneered, but Tyler was grinning. "Can't stop long, I'll be out in a minute." He said. He turned away from Damon to face the stairs. "What the hell are you doing?" Damon asked, vamp speeding over to the teen. "'Before I die, I want to gain control.'" Tyler smiled at the vampire, who just stood looking confused. "I've been seeing a shrink, she's helped me control my anger. It's taken time, and too much patience, but I can control it now." Despite himself, Damon smiled a Tyler. "Congrats, man." Tyler shook his hand, then left the Boarding House. 

"Impromptu visit." Elijah announced as he all but burst through the door to the Boarding House, making Stefan and Damon both leap off the couches they were laying on in surprise. The books they were each reading fell to the floor with a dull thud. "What in the name of Satan himself are you doing here?" Damon asked. Elijah smiled, then walked over to them. "Klaus should be here any second." As though by command, Klaus also walked through the door not a second later. "Impromptu visit. Oh, Elijah! I thought you were coming along tomorrow!" As Elijah shook his head and Klaus walked to join them, the Salvatores eyed the Mikaelsons. "Can someone explain what on earth is going on here?" Stefan demanded. Both Mikaelson brothers smiled, then moved over to the stairs.  
"'Before I die, I want to help Klaus rediscover his nobility."  
"'Before I die, I want my siblings to respect me again.'"  
The brothers read out their respective sentences as they highlighted. "It's a long story, mate, but we did it." Klaus said. Elijah smiled modestly.   
"Indeed. We shall not intrude any further, goodnight Damon, goodnight Stefan." Elijah said before retreating from the house. "Damon, Stefan." Klaus greeted. As he went to grab the door handle however, Stefan stopped him. "Klaus." Klaus paused, but didn't turn back. "Good for you." Klaus waited a second longer, then nodded and left the Boarding House. 

"Oh... my god!" Jeremy sighed as he dumped his heavy backpack by the front door of the Boarding House. "It's only a quick stop, I haven't been home yet." He said as Stefan joined him from the Living Room and Damon came down the stairs. "How was China?" The older brother asked.   
"Amazing. Hence." He gestured towards the sheet stuck to the wall, then moved over and highlighted his sentence. "'Before I die, I want to walk the Great Wall of China.' Most exhausting thing I've ever done." Damon laughed.   
"I know. I've done it. Twice." Jeremy looked at him, surprised. "Seriously?" Damon chuckled and nodded. Stefan snickered as well. "So have I. Walked it with Damon the second time he went. We know the pain." Jeremy smiled and looked back at his newly highlighted sentence. He was proud. 

"Yeah, well, you may all be supernatural, but I love Matt just the way he is. HUMAN. " The gang laughed, gathered around the fire on couches, armchairs and the floor in Enzo and Elijah's case. "Wait, what did you just say?" Matt said.   
"I said I love you just the way you are." Jane, Matt's girlfriend of two months repeated. "You... you love me?" Matt stuttered.   
"Yeah. Yeah, I love you, Matt." Caroline gasped.   
"Is that the first time she's said that?" Jane nodded, earning a few more smiles. "I love you too." Matt said, then kissed her before leaping up from his seat and dashing over to the stairs. "What the hell are you doing, Donovan?" Damon exclaimed.   
"'Before I die...'" Matt said, loud enough for the others to hear as he highlighted the sheet of paper. A few people smiled in realisation and Damon relaxed back into his seat. "'... I want to find love.'" Everyone, including Klaus, Elijah and Damon cheered as Matt walked back over to the group. "And I sure as hell found love." He said as he embraced Jane. 

"So you mean... this is a safe way of... oh my god." Bonnie gasped, holding the tiny stone in her hand. "Damon, where on earth did you find that?" Enzo said lowly. "New Orleans. There was a witch who died while I was there. Before she kicked the bucket though, I made acquaintances with her, told her about you. She told me to give it to you. Now, no harm can come to you when you're doing your witchy juju. At least, that's what I think it does." Bonnie smiled and threw her arms around Damon. "Thank you." She sighed against his neck as he awkwardly hugged her back. She then walked over to the stairs. "'Before I die, I want to find safe magic.' I think this is as safe as it's ever gonna get.'" Enzo and Damon smiled at her as she highlighted her Want. 

"Ugh, wow." Damon huffed as he placed the suitcase at the base of the stairs. "I think that was the best week and a half of my life.'" Elena smiled as she dropped her bags. "Eleven days of everything we could think of. It was amazing." Damon laughed and pulled her in for and embrace. He kissed her as they broke apart, hearing Stefan walking up to them. "How was the trip?" He asked, then stumbled over his feet. "Could ask you the same question." Damon said casually. Elena stifled a laugh as Stefan straightened up, pink in the face. "Yeah, well, how was it?" Elena sighed wistfully and was about to answer when Damon cut in. "Eleven days of hotel rooms all to ourselves, I'm ecstatic." He smirked knowingly at Elena, who hid her face. Stefan sighed. "It was brilliant. We went everywhere, did everything. We barely got any sleep." Elena said. The couple shared a laugh. "Wait." Elena moved over to the piece of paper on the stairs wall. "'Before I die, I want to live.'" She whispered as she dragged the yellow highlighter across the page. Damon hugged her from behind and Stefan smiled at his older brother and best friend. They've lived. 

A 75 year old Alaric coughed in his hospital bed. Damon, Stefan, a 53 year old Elena and Caroline were stood around his bed, with Lily hovering in the doorway (Stefan had called her, just in case). "Huh, cancer sucks." Alaric said, wiping blood from around his mouth. He could barely breathe, he was minutes away from death. He turned to Caroline. "Could you get it for me?" Caroline smiled sadly at him.   
"I brought it with me." Stefan and Damon exchanged a confused look as Caroline moved over to her handbag. She brought over a piece of paper and a yellow highlighter. With a shaking hand, Alaric pushed the colour over a sentence. "'Be- before I d-die, I want to- to be outl- lived." He coughed again as Damon looked horrified at the page. "No! No, you ain't dead yet, we're gonna save you!" Alaric weakly chuckled, his eyes already starting to fade. "There's n-no chance you know... know that." A look of realisation seemed to creep across Alaric's face. "Good luck, mate." Damon made to protest, but Alaric's face went slack and he flatlined. "No. No!" Damon turned to the nurse stood next to Lily in the doorway. "Bring him back! Bring him back!" The nurse shook her head as she turned off the monitor. Damon was about to compel the nurse when he felt Stefan grab his shoulder. He tried to shake it off, but Stefan held firm. "He has a DNR. Damon, he has a DNR." Damon's eyes stung with tears as he struggled against Stefan's iron grip. "No. No, Rick I am not gonna be the last person you ever see! Rick, come on!" Damon bit his wrist and tried to feed Alaric his blood, but Stefan pulled him back. "NO!" Damon shouted. "No, bring him back!" Stefan tried to pull him into an embrace, but Damon resisted. Instead, Stefan gestured for Lily to come over. She gently took her son's shoulder and pulled him to face her. Damon couldn't resist upon smelling his mother's familiar, comforting scent and he sobbed into her shoulder, clinging onto her like the young boy Lily remembered so well. Caroline took the page and placed it back into her handbag, tears streaming down her face. Her daughters were on the way, she had to tell them. Damon's stomach rolled at the thought of Lizzie and Josie. He pulled away from his mother slowly, tears still flowing freely down his face, and looked her in the eye. "I- I love you, mom." He whispered, thinking of Lizzie and Josie. Lily smiled at him. "I know, my boy." 

Once Damon and the others had left, only Caroline and Lily remained in the waiting room. Lizzie and Josie were in the morgue saying goodbye to their father. "Do you still have that paper?" Lily asked, breaking the silence. "Hm? Oh, yeah." Caroline replied, taking the sheet out of her bag. "Why?" Lily smiled and took the highlighter as well. "'Before I die, I want my sons to love me.' Damon told me he loves me today, Stefan told me only a few months ago. My boys love me.'" Caroline smiled at her.   
"At least one good thing came from today. Alaric would be happy." Lily smiled thankfully back at her, then the two women embraced. 

"I never forgave you for that, by the way. It hurt." Stefan chuckled. Damon, who was sat on the opposite couch, laughed. "Seriously? Of all the things I've done, that's what you don't forgive me for?" Stefan chuckled heartily.   
"Yeah, it hurt. I haven't forgiven you for anything else either to be honest." Damon faltered slightly.   
"What?" He asked, all humour gone from his voice. Stefan picked up on his broken tone. "Well, I have. I've just never told you." Damon just looked at his younger brother. "I forgave you a long while ago, Damon. For everything. I forgive you for trying to kill me too many times, for actually killing me too many times, for taking Elena from me, for dying yourself too many times, and everything else in between." Damon stared gobsmacked at his brother. "You mean that?" He sounded like a child.   
"Yeah. Yeah, I do. I forgive you, Damon."   
Damon smiled. "84 years we've been on the ups, that's a whole lifetime." Stefan smiled with him. "Yeah, ha yeah it is." Damon slowly rose from his seat and placed his bourbon on the table. Just as slowly, he walked over to the stairs and felt Stefan following him. "'Before I die... I want to be forgiven.' Nobody else's forgiveness ever mattered, Stef. That was aimed at you. I wanted to be forgiven by you." With that, he took the same highlighter that had been placed there 80 something years ago and highlighted his sentence. Stefan then took it from his hand. "'Before I die... I want to make peace with my brother.' I think 84 years on the ups is enough to say we made peace." With that, Stefan highlighted his own sentence. Both brothers took a couple of steps back to look at the paper. Every single sentence was highlighted. "We did it." Damon said quietly.   
"Yeah. Yeah, we did." Stefan wrapped his arm around Damon's shoulders, but the older vampire pulled him into a proper embrace. The two brothers stood there, holding each other tightly, for a long time. The sheet of paper stuck to the wall shined neon in the moonlight coming from a window.   
They did it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I honestly loved writing that. I've got loads of ideas and they're still flowing, but feel free to leave your own request! Thanks for reading, reviews welcome as always. Isaac :))**


	7. Lip Sync Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **I have to admit, this chapter is almost exactly how it went down with me and my friend at an event we went to... I'm Damon in this scenario XD. It's useful if you listen to the songs beforehand, but you don't have to.  
>  Characters: the usual gang (mainly D+S)  
> Pairings: None  
> Warnings: None  
> Summary: "Ah, there's a lip sync battle on at ten, what do you say, Stef?" Damon asked excitedly. "No way." Stefan deadpanned.**

The Mystic Grill was packed. They could see that even before they got near it. The noise was close to deafening. "Hey, have they set up a stage?" Elena asked, eyeing the absence of some of the tables. Matt chuckled lightly. "Yeah, they made it bigger for the week of events they have planned." At that point, Damon noticed the sign stood outside the Grill and gestured to it, slapping Stefan on the arm to get his attention. "Ah, there's a lip sync battle on at ten! What do you say, Stef?" He asked excitedly. "No way." Stefan deadpanned. Damon shrugged.   
"Fine, suit yourself. You ain't stopping me, though." He strutted towards the Grill, bottle of bourbon hanging loosely from his right hand. "Oh I would pay to see how this ends." Tyler exclaimed, then ran to catch up to the vampire. The others laughed and followed. 

"And it pleases me to announce the next contestant..." it was ten thirty. Six people had already participated in the Lip Sync Battle. Three challengers, who picked people from the audience after they had finished their song to participate next, and three opponents, aka the people who were picked by the challengers. Stefan, Enzo, Matt, Tyler, Jeremy, Elena, Bonnie and Caroline were all waiting for Damon to go up. "... Mr Damon Salvatore!" They all cheered as Damon swaggered confidently onto the stage, fake plastic microphone in his hand. "Good evening, ladies and gents! Especially the ladies." He said, smirking at the crowd. Several women giggled and Stefan rolled his eyes. "I think a lot of you will know this song. I've chosen Ballad of Mona Lisa by Panic! At The Disco!" The crowd roared, apparently the song was popular. Damon winked at the side of the stage, and the song started to play. 

Stefan grinned as Damon pretended to sing into the mic. " _She paints her fingers with a close precision, he starts to notice empty bottles of gin... and takes a moment to assess the sin she's paid for. _"  
"Of course." Stefan said to Enzo. "Damon would choose a song like this." Enzo chuckled as Damon continued, moving around the stage with a surprising amount of confidence and a huge grin on his face. ". _..there's nothing wrong with just a taste of what you paid for. _.." Damon did an air guitar move that had Enzo, Elena and Bonnie clutching their sides. " _Say what you mean, tell me I'm riiiight, and let the sun rain down on me! _" Damon shot Stefan a look there. He chuckled at the irony of the 'sub' comment. Damon seemed to be having the time of his life up there, the crowd screaming at him. He danced, jumped, turned and thoroughly seemed to love the music. Caroline cheered and clapped, Tyler, Matt and Jeremy sang along, Enzo, Elena and Bonnie couldn't stop laughing and Stefan tapped his foot to the beat, just watching his brother enjoy himself for once. " _Whooooaa Mona Lisa! You're guaranteed to run this town! Whooooaa Mona Lisa! _" Stefan couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous yet happy Damon looked. He was really going for it, throwing himself into every move he did.________

________". _.. another dollar, another day. And if she had the proper words she would tell him... but she'd have nothing left to sell him_." Damon winked at the crowd, then did his stupid air guitar move again. Enzo nearly fell off his seat, had he not been caught by Stefan. He clutched his sides, barely able to breathe. "Sorry mate, this is amazing!" He exclaimed, his voice a couple of octaves higher than it usual. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________" _Give me a sign, I wanna believe!_ " Damon danced from side to side of the stage, getting a massive reaction from the crowd. Stefan was also starting to really enjoy himself, even joining in with Tyler, Matt and Jeremy's singing. Damon threw his head side to side, flung his arms out, twisted and all but leaped around the stage, all the while maintaining his grip on the pretend mic and nailing every lyric. " _Whooooaa Mona Lisa! I'd pay to see you froooown!_ " The song calmed down then slightly, as did Damon. He stopped all movements, held the mic up and looked seductively into the crowd. " _Mona Lisa, where were you... pleased to please you._.." the women in the crowd sighed and some laughed. " _Mona Lisa... say what you mean, tell me I'm riiiight, and let the sun rain down on me._ " Damon walked slowly across the stage and back while he synced, his eyes turning sexily back to the crowd every so often. " _Give me a sign, I wanna believe..._ " there was a pause. Tyler, Matt, Jeremy and Stefan all took a deep, dramatic breath that even Damon seemed to hear as he smirked at them. " _WHOOOAAA MONA LISA, YOU'RE GUARANTEED TO RUN THIS TOWN!_ " They all but screamed. The girls jumped and laughed at them, and even Damon smiled properly at his brother. He danced like he had never danced before, practically throwing himself around the stage like a true performer. "... _Mona Lisa! I'd pay to see you frown!_ " Stefan and the other singers in the gang were going for it almost as much as Damon was going for his dancing. They bellowed the chorus, making the others laugh as much as Damon was. " _SAY WHAT YOU MEAN, TELL ME I'M RIIIIGHT AND LET THE SUN RAIN DOWN ON ME!_ " Stefan hadn't had so much fun for as long as he could remember. He was pretty sure alcohol had a say in it but either way, he was loving it. Damon ran back to center stage for the last couple of lines, and the boys stopped singing to watch. He looked out into the crowd and smirked again... " _There's nothing wrong with just a taste of what you paid for_." As the song finally came to an end, the crowd went wild. Even Stefan applauded and cheered for his brother, who took a very-overly dramatic bow then took the real microphone from the host. "Thank you!" He held out a hand, and the crowd silenced. "Now, as you are aware... I am a challenger." A few 'oo's were scattered throughout. Tension built as Damon lowered his hand. "And I challenge... my little brother- Stefan Salvatore!" _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The crowd cheered as Stefan's friends clapped him on the back, applauded and pushed him towards the stage. All the while, Stefan was protesting. "No, guys- no. Damon! No, I don't want to- oh my god." He was finally pushed onto the stage by Enzo. He glared at the man, then a spotlight was shown on him. Damon grinned and pushed a second real microphone into his hands and wrapped an arm around Stefan's shoulders. "Now normally, Stefan is very, very broody and miserable. However, he must be drunk because I just saw him singing heartily to my song choice! Now, Stefan. I was about to choose Jeremy or Enzo, but I couldn't resist seeing you have so much fun, I had to ruin it. Now, what song are you gonna do?" Damon smirked at him. Stefan shot him a glare that was only half meant. He knew he had no way out of this, the best he could do was try and beat Damon. He sighed into his microphone. "Fine. LA Devotee by Panic! At The Disco." Damon gaped at his song choice. Moving the mic away from his face, Damon leaned in to whisper. "Wow, figured you'd go for something slow and miserable." With a last wink and a grin, Damon moved to the side of the stage to watch Stefan as the music sounded. During the intro, Stefan took several deep breaths. He had to beat Damon. He couldn't let his brother win at even some stupid Lip Sync battle. He rounded his shoulders confidently and lifted the pretend microphone to his lips, a dance kick already preparing itself in his right leg._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________" _You got two black eyes from loving too hard, and a black heart that matches your blackest soul I wouldn't change you, o-oh, wouldn't ever try to make you leave, no-oh_." He did everything with a confidence that strongly rivalled Damon's. Speaking of, his brother gaped at him, as did all of his friends. Nobody expected Stefan to be as lively and ready as he was. Stefan ignored his friends' reactions, but grinned at Damon. " _Static palms melt your vibe, midnight whispering._.." Enzo cheered and stood on his chair to sing along to the chorus. Stefan put every ounce of effort he could into his dancing, trying his best not to feel humiliated as he moved around the stage. " _The black magic of Mulholland Drive, swimming pools under desert skies. Drinking white wine in the blushing light... just another LA Devotee_." Damon had come out of his stupor, and was now looking Stefan with a look of amused shock on his face, clapping and singing along. Elena and Caroline were cheering and jumping to the music, Bonnie and Jeremy were dancing and Enzo, Matt and Tyler were all stood on chairs, singing along using their hands as though they were holding microphones. Stefan had to admit, he was enjoying himself. The humiliation dimmed with every passing second, excitement and joy overriding it. " _You got bleached out eyes from the valley sand and a black tar palms keep weeping your name. I couldn't change ya, o-oh._ " The crowd was loving his act. They danced, cheered and sang along to the song. Stefan twisted his legs side to side, shook his head and bounced to the beat. Alcohol was definitely having a say in his movements. " _Static palms melt your vibe... midnight whisperings_." Stefan couldn't help but air guitar in the gap before the chorus, earning himself an loud cheer from Damon. He flashed his older brother a grin, then flung himself back into dancing. " _The black magic on Mulholland Drive, swimming pools under desert skies. Drinking white wine in the blushing light... just another LA Devotee_." Stefan looked over to his friends amidst his dancing, they were practically screaming the song.   
" _Just another LA Devotee. Sunsets on the evil eye, invisible to the Hollywood shrine. Always on the hunt for a little more time... just another LA Devotee_." Beside him, Damon was dancing as much as he could while also keeping to the shadows. Like in Damon's song, the music calmed down slightly, and Stefan took a leaf out of his brother's book. He bowed his head slightly and looked up at the crowd, earning himself a few gasps from the women as the light hit him just how he planned it too. " _LA Devotee... LA Devotee..._ " the best part, and Stefan's favourite, of the song was coming up. He could feel the tension in his quivering fingers, agitated for the impending arrival of the next chorus. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________There was a pause... Stefan couldn't help himself. As loudly and enthusiastically as he could, he raised his voice and shouted: " _ONE, TWO... ONE, TWO, THEEE, FOUR!"  
“ _The black magic on Mulholland Drive, swimming pools under desert skies. Drinking white wine in the blushing light... just another LA Devotee! Sunsets on the evil eye, invisible to the Hollywood shrine. Always on the hunt for a little more time... just another LA Devotee!_ " At the left side of him, Stefan heard Damon bellow the chorus as it was sung by the band. All of his friends and the crowd had done the same, they were nearly louder than the speakers. The only person who didn't sing was Elena, who was too busy looking shocked at him for his countdown outburst to do anything else. Stefan knew he looked a lot like Damon in that moment, throwing himself around the stage like an idiot. With childish enthusiasm, Stefan raised the mic for the final part of the song. " _Just another, just another, uh oh. Just another, just another, uh oh. Just another LA Devotee_." __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________The crowd screamed and yelled as the music stopped. Stefan looked at his friends who were also applauding and cheering him. He was grinning at them when he suddenly felt someone jump on his back and smelt an all too familiar smell. Damon wrapped him in a celebratory hug, and Stefan turned around to return it. Both brothers laughed as they slapped each other on the back. Damon was the first to pull away, grabbing Stefan by his shoulders and shouting at him. "I did not think you were gonna do that, Stef! I was all ready to call Baby Gilbert up instead!" Stefan laughed and clapped Damon's shoulder. "Full of surprises, brother. Don't expect it to happen again, though." Damon laughed heartily and pulled him in for another hug. When they released each other, the crowd calmed down and the host handed them both real microphones. "Well, that's the end of round three ladies and gents." She said as Damon took up his position on her left with Stefan on her right. "So, we have Damon Salvatore." Damon waved, the crowd cheered. "And Stefan Salvatore." Stefan waved, the crowd cheered. "Now, I think both brothers did extremely well here. However, the vote is down to you. You know the drill, you cheer for the brother you want to win. We measure the decibels, whoever gets the loudest cheer wins. Unfortunately, you can't pick both." There was a collective groan from the crowd. "Anyways, let's get to it. On three, cheers if you want Damon to win!" Damon flashed the crowd a cheeky grin. "One! Two! Three!" Stefan and Damon nearly had to clap their hands over their ears. For about ten seconds, the crowd was louder than any of them had ever heard. There were claps, screams and even some feet stomping. Damon leaned forward slightly and smirked at Stefan. Stefan rose his eyebrows in return as the crowd was silenced. "Now, on three again, take a drink if you need to, cheers if you want Stefan to win!" Stefan bowed his head and let the light hit him again. He usually hated doing it, it was so Damon-like, but at that moment he really didn't care. "One! Two! Three!" It was close. Extremely close. Neither brother could tell whose was louder. "Wow. That's gonna be a tough call!" The host said as the crowd eventually quietened down. She walked over to a man on the right hand side of the stage, the one who was measuring the decibels. "We have a winner! I have to say, it's a close one, but the winner is..." Stefan felt his heart racing in suspense, and he could hear Damon's doing the same. "Stefan!"  
"YES!" Stefan exclaimed and fist pumped the air. Damon groaned, but he had a grin on his face. "Congratulations, Stefan!" The host exclaimed. Damon wrapped an arm round Stefan's shoulder. "Good going, brother. You deserve that win." Stefan laughed and slapped Damon's hand lightly. "Next time, maybe you should choose Jeremy." Damon chuckled and both brothers waved at the crowd as they left the stage. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"You were both amazing!" Bonnie said. The others had been waiting for them outside of the Grill with wide spread grins on their faces. "That was hilarious, Damon. I nearly suffocated 'coz I was laughing at you." Enzo said as he clapped Damon on the back. "It's true, I had to catch him to stop him falling off his seat... twice." Stefan chipped in.  
"I love the side of Stefan we saw tonight, though." Elena said. "Had me and Bonnie in stitches just watching you." Damon chuckled.   
"Yeah, believe it or not, he wasn't always broody. Haven't seen him do anything like that since the 1860s I have to say." The whole gang laughed heartily at that as they continued the long, deliberately slow walk back to the Salvatore Boarding House. The whole way back, they talked, laughed and cheered about Damon and Stefan's performances. At one point, they even took to singing the songs loudly in the streets. By the time they got back to the Boarding House, it was almost midnight and everyone was exhausted. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"You should do that more often, Stefan." Damon said. The brothers were the only ones left in the Living Room, everyone else having picked a bedroom and gone to sleep. "Nah, one night every century or so will do." Stefan replies. Damon chuckled and stretched out on the couch. "You sleeping down here or something?" Stefan said, grinning at his lounging brother. "Mmhm." Damon confirmed. Stefan huffed again and laid out on his own couch. "G'night then."  
"G'night, little brother."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I hope you enjoyed that, it was based off of something that actually happened to me and a group of my friends while we were out. I just changed it a little to fit the story. Anyways, reviews and requests welcome as always. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	8. See What You Did?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **I've only seen TVD once, and I've not even finished it yet, so I can't remember what Emily did. In this, she's a servant for the Salvatores.  
>  Characters: Stefan, Damon, Lily, Giuseppe, Emily  
> Warnings: Mentions/descriptions of abuse, OOC  
> Pairings: None  
> Summary: Damon found a small journal that once belonged to Emily. In a last fight to get Lily to choose them over her Heretics, he reveals the contents to her.**

"Holy crap, Stefan."   
It was late evening, Damon and Stefan were going through an old study, one they'd never been into. Damon had just found a small, deep red, leather-bound book. He flipped open the front page and read 'Property of Emily Bennett'. Opening and flicking through, Damon saw there were only 4 entries. "What?" Stefan asked as he peered over his brother's shoulder. Damon showed him the front page. "Oh my god." They exchanged a nervous glance. Damon opened it up to the first entry and skimmed his eyes over it. "This is from the day Lily died." He flicked over to the next entry. "This one's from her funeral." He turned the pages again a few times. "That's the day father told me he'd signed me up for the Confederacy." Stefan stiffened slightly and Damon's shoulders tensed. They both remembered how that day went. "This one's... this one's from when I got injured. I never found out what happened, I didn't remember a thing."   
Stefan sighed. "You gonna read them?" He asked. Damon shook his head slowly. "Not by myself. And not just me and you either. I think we should read them to Lily."   
"What?" Stefan exclaimed. "Are you- hang on. You want her back, don't you?"  
Damon closed the journal. "Of course I want her back! She's our mother! I figure one last chance at redemption wouldn't hurt." Stefan smiled at his older brother.   
"I thought you'd given up on her." Damon grunted and huffed. "I did, 'til I found this. Might actually make her feel something for us if she reads it." Stefan clapped him on the shoulder, a smile still plastered on his face. "I'll call her over." While Stefan went out to make the phone call, Damon couldn't help but flick through the rest of the journal. It was empty until the last two pages. Damon read the first sentence, then he slammed the book shut with a gasp and he felt his face go pale.   
' _Damon and Stefan Salvatore are dead_.'   
Luckily, Stefan chose that moment to burst back into the room. "I told her we'd found an old heirloom we want to show her, she'll be over in ten... are you ok?" Stefan asked, looking up from his phone and seeing his brother's pale complexion. "Peachy. Let's just get this over and done with." Without another word, Damon slipped out of the room, past a slightly startled Stefan. 

"What heirloom is this, anyways?" Lily asked. She was seated in the couch on the right side of the fire. Stefan was on the couch opposite the flames, Damon stood behind him on his left, book in hand. "It's a journal... Emily's journal." Stefan said. Lily gasped and her hands covered her mouth. "As in Emily Bennett?" Both brothers nodded. "Let me ask you a question first, Lily." Damon said, moving round to sit next to Stefan. "Do you know what happened after we were told you'd died? What we went through? What father made me do?" Lily shook her head.   
"I noticed in the prison world that you served in the Confederacy. That always made me proud." Damon scoffed. "Do you have any idea what you did when you left us? Any at all?" Once again, Lily shook her head. "Emily cared for us like a mother, even before you died. Maybe this can show you why you should've just stayed, or at least checked in on us." Stefan said. With that, Damon flicked the book open to the first page. Stefan and Damon's hearts were racing, neither of them knew what the book contained. It was just as much a mystery to them as it was Lily. Damon cleared his throat, then read aloud. 

"' _I don't usually write, but today I need to let things out. Damon and Stefan's mother died last night. Their father was tending to the body, leaving me to tell them_.'" Lily already had tears in her eyes, staring wide-eyed at her eldest son. "' _Little Stefan is only ten years old, he was devastated. Both boys were. Damon is 17, but as soon as I delivered the news, I saw the darkness in his eyes. Poor Stefan flung his arms around Damon's neck and sobbed like no child should sob._ '"   
"Stop." Lily blurted out suddenly, her voice breaking. "Just... stop, Damon. I don't want to here this."  
"Oh, but you're going to. Because you weren't there to witness it yourself!" Damon shouted angrily. Lily looked to Stefan, but he agreed with Damon. Lily silenced herself, and Damon continued.   
"' _Damon comforted him surprisingly well, considering his own eyes were full of tears he wouldn't let fall. His mind was clearly elsewhere, he was avoiding every comforting move I made. Stefan fell asleep in Damon's arms, I could only watch as Damon gathered the small child up and tucked him into bed, despite it being mid-morning. Damon sat with him for a few hours after that. Occasionally, I tried to talk to him; but he brushed me off every time. He eventually left Stefan to sleep in the late afternoon, but when I walked past his bedroom, Damon was._..'" Damon hesitated, taking a deep, shaking breath. Stefan looked concernedly at him, but Damon ignored him. "... _when I walked past his bedroom, Damon was sobbing and s-screaming into what sounded like his pillow_.'" Stefan's breath hitched. He didn't even know that happened. Lily let out a small sob, tears flowing quickly down her face. Damon took another shaky breath, then continued.   
"' _I was going to go in and comfort him, but I heard Stefan having a nightmare. Knowing that Stefan would run straight to Damon as soon as he woke up, I decided to go in and comfort him instead. Damon never shows vulnerability in front of Stefan, so I knew he needed this time alone. Stefan was tossing and turning, whimpering in his sleep. I woke him up and he immediately started sobbing. No child, especially not one his age, should cry as he did. His whole body sh-shook and heaved, and the whole time he said he wanted his mom_.'" Lily let out another sob. Damon's voice was starting to shake, Stefan felt a lump rise in his throat, but he swallowed it back down.   
"' _It kills me that I cannot do that for them. Damon kept himself shut away, only coming out when his father called for him shortly after returning from the hospital. I don't know what was said, but it wasn't comfort. If anything, it seemed to make Damon's mood worse_.'"  
"And that's the end of that." Damon said, his voice on the verge of breaking entirely. There were unshed tears glistening in his eyes. "Hope you paid attention there, Lily. Hope you heard how I ' _sobbed and screamed_ ' into my pillow. Hope you listened when Stefan _cried out for his mom_ , because there's another four entries in here." Lily shook her head wildly. "No. No, I don't want to hear any more, Damon." She cried.   
"Well then maybe you should've been there for us when it happened." Stefan spoke up, a tear slowly making its way down his cheek. Damon watched it trickle down, then snapped out of his thoughts and opened it to the next entry. "This one's from the day of your funeral." Lily sobbed again, Damon ignored her. 

"' _I'm back again. Today was Lily Salvatore's funeral. Damon was supposed to write her eulogy, but he didn't even attend the funeral_.'" Apparently Lily hadn't been told that. She gasped, all tears ceasing their flow. "What?" Damon glared a 'shut up' at her. "' _Giuseppe was furious and Stefan was looking around for him almost the whole time. In the end, Giuseppe had to do the eulogy. It was a sweet little service that a lot of people attended. When Damon didn't show up at home afterwards, I went looking for him. I found him by the river. He had two empty bourbon bottles next to him and he was crying. As I walked up and sat next to him, his shoulders abruptly stopped shaking- he was refusing to cry in front of me._ '" More tears were gradually making their way down Stefan's face. He had no idea this ever happened. "' _He told me he couldn't face the funeral, that he was a coward. Nothing I said or did could soothe him. A few hours into our conversation, he started crying again. He told me to leave. I did. When I got back to the house, Stefan was a mess. He'd bolted to his room as soon as we got back, and this had only gotten worse since. While I'd been out, Giuseppe had shouted at Stefan for crying so loudly. Stefan was angry at Damon for missing the funeral and not showing up afterwards, distraught about his mother and scared of his father's wrath. I soothed him as best as I could, briefly explaining why Damon had missed he funeral and telling him it was ok for him to cry. Stefan had cried and cried, clinging to and soaking my dress in his anguish. Nothing I could do helped. I just had to wait for him to cry until he fell asleep. It was only early evening, but I tucked him in regardless. Not long after that, maybe an hour or so, Damon returned. He had wisely left the alcohol bottles by the lake and tried to make himself look decent, but his face told me he was completely numb. Barely a second after I watched him close the front door behind him, Giuseppe stepped into view and._..'" this time, Damon's voice failed him. A few tears slipped out of his eyes at the look of the next few sentences. He tried to read the sentence again, but the lump in his throat was too painful. He shook his bowed head and handed the book to Stefan to continue reading without looking at his brother. The younger Salvatore took a deep breath, wiped the tears off his face and immediately saw why Damon had stopped reading. "'... _and hit Damon harder across the face than I had ever seen before. There was nothing I could do, I just went upstairs to make sure Stefan didn't wake. Damon's features had morphed into pure terror at the sight of Giuseppe, overriding all numbness- he'd known it was going to be bad. Stefan slept soundly, barely moving in his sleep. But downstairs, I could hear Giuseppe roaring at Damon how he was a disgrace, useless, an embarrassment. I could hear the blows, the cracks of a belt, Damon's reluctant grunts of pain and his shouted arguments. About half an hour after the beating stopped, Damon came to see... to see if Stefan was alright. His face was a mess of bruises and cuts, and there were unmistakable tear streaks on his face. I've been sat in the corridor since Damon went to bed. Occasionally, Stefan wakes from a nightmare, or I hear Damon let out a muffled cry. I alway comfort Stefan Salvatore, but Damon Salvatore never lets me_.' That's the end of that one." Stefan finished, his voice cracking and shaking. Damon looked up from his hunched position and gestured to the book. Stefan returned it. "Hope you really paid attention to that one, Lily. That was barely a slap compared to some of the things Giuseppe did to me after you left." Lily was distraught. Tears were dripping from the end of her face, unstoppably falling from her eyes. Stefan and Damon also both had tears streaks, but neither acknowledged them. Damon flicked over to the next entry. "This one is five years later. 1862." Ignoring Lily's protests, Damon read on. 

"' _It's been so long since I wrote, 5 years to be exact, but I lost the book. I had to find it today, though. Something terrible has happened. Last time I wrote, Damon refused to cry in front of me. Today, he all but burst into the kitchen, tears streaming down his terrified face. When he saw me, he rushed over to me. He was barely able to get the words out, but he said: 'Emily... Emily, father signed me up for the Confederacy! I don't_ agh.'" Damon grunted. "I remember this all too well." He commented, then cleared his throat and carried on reading with a trembling voice. "'- _I don't want to go, Emily, I don't want to go!' I remember it so well. Damon is 22 now, but all I could think to do was pull him into a hug and soothe him. He eventually stopped crying, and my heart reached out to him when he realised he had to tell Stefan. He looked scared, but determined. I waited in the silence of the kitchen until I heard a strangled cry of 'NO!'. Damon managed to soothe Stefan, who is now almost 16, but that did nothing to help the fear I know he feels. More people are dying than surviving this war, and I know Giuseppe is hoping that Damon doesn't return. But Damon is brave, strong, and he has a little... a little brother to come home for. He's terrified, I know he is, but he's masking it well for Stefan, and sticking his nose up to show Giuseppe that Damon Salvatore will survive this civil war_.'"  
"Here that?" Damon asked Lily, his voice thick with emotion. "Giuseppe signed me up for a war that I _did not want to fight in._ He sent me to battle, hoping I would never come back! That's what you left us with!" Lily shook her head and sobbed some more. Stefan huffed irritably. "Think she needs a bit more evidence. Read on, Damon." Lily cried out, begging Damon not to read. Both brothers ignored her and Damon turned the page to the next entry. 

"' _I'm back, but his is only a quick one as I have to get back to Stefan. Damon's been hurt- bad. There was an explosion, Damon got caught in it. Stefan, now being 16 1/2, argued with Giuseppe over the matter. Giuseppe is refusing to._.. oh my god.. _. Giuseppe is refusing to pay for Damon's medical treatment. Said he would ‘rather someone like Damon die than waste money on him‘_... holy crap, he did that?" Damon asked, looking up at Stefan. The younger Salvatore nodded his head slowly, fresh tears making their way down his face at the memory of the fear he felt when Giuseppe said no. "' _It's tearing Stefan apart. Eventually, it got too much for him and he ran to his room. He told me he's going to use.._. no way... _he's going to use his savings and inheritance to pay for Damon's treatment. There's nothing I can do to stop him. I must go now, I'm accompanying Stefan on his trip. I'm back_... this must be a few hours later.. _. Giuseppe found out. Damon's going to be alright, thanks to Stefan, but Giuseppe... Giuseppe beat Stefan for his little stunt. He's ok, he's more nervous about hearing from Damon, they say he won't remember a thing_.'" Damon finished with a small intake of breath. "You did that?" He asked, turning his head to his younger brother. Stefan nodded. "And he... beat you for it?" Stefan nodded again. Damon 'huh'd. "Thanks." Stefan looked up at him and nodded his welcome, clearly not trusting his voice. "There's just one more entry here, Lily. It even shocked me, and I only read the first sentence. I'm thinking you'll particularly enjoy it." Damon sneered. Stefan looked at him confused. He didn't know there was a fifth entry. Damon made sure his voice wouldn't shake, giving himself a strong start. 

"' _Damon and Stefan Salvatore are dead_.'" Lily gasped and let out another strangled sob. Stefan tensed and looked away from Damon, who had lost all the strength he had built up for that one sentence. "' _At least, sort of. When Giuseppe shot them dead, they both had vampire blood in their system, courtesy of Katherine Pierce. Speaking of Katherine... Earlier in the day.._. hold on... _Giuseppe had set a trap for Stefan. Yesterday, Stefan asked Giuseppe if vampires could be good. Naturally, Giuseppe got suspicious of Katherine and slipped Stefan vervain. When she and Stefan were in the bedroom, Katherine bit Stefan and was poisoned by the vervain. That's when Giuseppe attacked her. He planned to burn all the vampires in the church, including Katherine. When they were killed, Damon and Stefan had been trying to save Katherine. Despite dying for it, Katherine was burned in the church. I took the boys to a house not far from Mystic Falls, where I lay them on beds next to each other. I thought I would have to bury them until Damon woke up. The relief I felt when I saw those blue eyes of his was immense. Then I realised I had to tell him about the church. Damon had fled, stumbling over things as he backed out of the room, not even noticing Stefan in his pain. Once he reached the door, he ran outside only to be burned by the sun. He ran back inside, then panicked upon realising he was a vampire. He didn't want to become that, didn't want to be a killer. I gave him his daylight ring, a ring I'd charmed to let him walk in the sunlight, and calmed him from his panic. As soon as he'd stopped panicking, though, grief for Katherine took over. He ran out of the house towards the nearby lake. I could hear his cries with the doors closed. He was out for about ten minutes, then he came running back in looking for Stefan. I gestured to the bedroom and told him before he went in that Stefan was probably also a vampire. When Stefan eventually woke up, Damon was by the lake. He panicked and grieved just as Damon had done, but I managed to calm him down before I gave him his daylight ring and let him outside. Both boys have decided they're not going to become vampires. They're going to die along with Katherine and each other_.' That's the end." The last entry had gone uninterrupted. "Emily found out that we'd turned, we were planning on staying at the house until we died so she was there after we fed." Stefan explained.   
"You didn't tell father about Katherine?" Damon suddenly shot at Stefan. "No. No, Damon, I didn't." Damon gaped at him, but Lily chose that moment to let out yet another sob. "You went through all that?" She asked tearfully. "Yep." Damon sneered, popping the 'p' slightly. "Without you. Because you left us and replaced us with people who are trying to kill us!" Lily shook her head again.   
"You can shake your head all you want, Lily, it's true. You abandoned us to suffer at Giuseppe's hand, then didn't bother trying to find us." Stefan pitched in. Damon stood up, wiped his face, and walked towards Lily. "So, who's it gonna be, Lily? Them... or us?" Lily gasped and looked up at him. She stood, tears still streaming down her face, and looked Damon in the eye. "I am so sorry for what you went through. I'm sorry that you sobbed and screamed into your pillow, I'm sorry you had to fight in the war. I'm sorry I left you through all that and never returned." When Damon was too emotional to risk speaking, she turned to Stefan instead. "I'm sorry you had nightmares, sorry you were angry at your own brother because of me, I'm sorry you had to transition and suffer as a Ripper on your own." She said, her voice filled with pain and regret. "And I am so sorry, Damon... that you had to endure beating after beating and I wasn't there to comfort you." Damon scoffed in her face.   
"You never comforted me anyway, it was always Emily. You just dragged me back into the house afterwards." He snarled. "So, who is it? Us, you own bloodline, or a bunch of strangers you happened to pick up in the middle of abandoning your own sons?" Lily sobbed again.   
"They're my family."  
"No, WE'RE YOUR FAMILY, LILY!" Stefan shouted, standing up and getting in her face. "YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO DAMON'S SCREAMS AS HE WAS BEATEN WITH A HORSEWHIP UNTIL HE WAS UNCONSCIOUS, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO WATCH ME YELL IN MY SLEEP BECAUSE IN MY DREAMS I WAS THE ONE WHO KILLED YOU! YOU WERE NEVER... you were never there." Stefan shouted, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper at the end of his short speech. Lily dropped her hands and pulled both her sons into a hug. They let her hold them for a few seconds, then simultaneously pulled away.   
"I'm sorry. So sorry for everything. I had no idea-"  
"No, you did. You just didn't care!" Damon shouted at her. Lily shook her head yet again. "No, no, my boy I swear I didn't know." Damon scoffed again and picked the book up from where he'd left it on the couch, holding it in front of her face. "In here tells you enough to know you missed out on a lot. I'll ask again- us or them?" As the brothers stood side by side, Lily looked at her sons. The last time she'd seen them, Stefan was just ten years old, Damon only seventeen. They'd grown up, Stefan was even about an inch taller than Damon now. They were men. Strong, powerful vampires. And they were her sons. "You. I choose you." Stefan and Damon's jaws dropped. "I love the Heretics, and I will not abandon them as I did you, but they will no longer be my family. Just my friends. You are my family." There was a few seconds of silence, then Stefan's face crumbled. He let out a sob, then surprised even himself when he pulled Lily into a hug, quickly followed by Damon. They stood there, all three of them sobbing at the thought of them all being together again, without Giuseppe, just like they always wanted. For eternity. 

"I honestly didn't think that was going to work." Damon said a few hours later. Him and Stefan were sat side by side on the couch opposite the couch with bourbon. They'd been sat in silence with a blanket covering their legs, dwelling on the events of the evening. Lily had gone upstairs to one of the guest rooms, and was fast asleep. "Neither did I. I thought we'd lost her for good, except I wasn't about to give up." Stefan said. There was silence for a few more minutes, then Stefan scooted closer to Damon. Damon watched him, a confused expression on his face. Stefan shocked him then by laying his head on Damon's shoulder. Damon stiffened slightly, then relaxed as he realised Stefan wasn't about to move.   
"What are you doing?" He asked quietly.   
"I just need my brother tonight." Damon chuckled, but he wrapped his arm around Stefan and pulled him closer.  
"I am never gonna let you forget you said that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I really hope you enjoyed that, I surely enjoyed writing it. Personally, I prefer that Damon didn't forgive Lily, but I did enjoy this perspective. Reviews and requests welcome as always. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	9. The Loss Of A Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Ok, I'm a first time watcher on 8x12, I apologise if this is OOC.  
>  Characters: the gang except Elena  
> Pairings: Stefan/Caroline, Enzo/Bonnie  
> Warnings: Major character death  
> Summary: It was impossible, it couldn't be happening. Stefan Salvatore was not dead.**

"Damon, stop shouting and listen to me!" Damon whipped around to face Bonnie, who had tears streaming down her face. "Where the hell is my brother?" Damon sneered, getting in her face. Enzo placed a hand on his right shoulder and pushed him away from her, but surprisingly he did nothing more than say "let her speak, mate." With a solemn expression on his face. They were at the Boarding House. Bonnie, Enzo, Stefan and Alaric had been on a mission to find the weapon that could kill Cade, at great risk to themselves. Now, everyone was at the House to be there when the group returned. None of them expected them to come back a member missing. "Fine." Damon snarled. "Talk." He poured himself another bourbon as Caroline glanced nervously at Bonnie, tears marking her own face. Bonnie began talking, her voice shaking. "While we were out... we were attacked. We don't know by who, or what, but we were. They were faceless... nameless. They moved quicker than any vampire could, were stronger than any supernatural creature I've ever seen or heard of. Enzo and Rick went down first, but Enzo healed then healed Rick. They struck me down next. While I was healing, they... they got Stefan." Damon, who had been watching the young Bennett witch intently since the start of her speech, moved over to her and took another sip of his bourbon. "And? He healed, right?" Fresh tears started falling down Bonnie's face. "No." She cried. Caroline gasped, reality clicking. "They did something to him, I don't know what it was. He wasn't healing himself, Enzo gave him his blood but it was useless. I tried spell after spell but nothing would work. He... he died, Damon. Greyed out right in front of us. I kept trying spells but..." she was now sobbing, struggling to get words to form in her throat. "...but there's no Other Side, Damon. I couldn't bring him back. I tried, I swear I tried." Caroline let out a loud sob and collapsed to the ground. Matt moved to comfort her as her body was wracked with heaving cries. Jeremy sat in silence, staring at the floor with Alaric's hand on his shoulder. Enzo had pulled Bonnie into a hug, and Damon had yet to move. He stood, staring at the place where Bonnie had stood before Enzo pulled her to him, with a half glass of bourbon still in hand. Said half glass smashed on the floor- making almost everyone jump- then Damon looked at Alaric. "Are you telling me... that my little brother his dead?" He asked, his voice several octaves lower than usual. Alaric nodded. "I'm sorry, buddy. We all watched it happen, there really was nothing we could've done, we tried." Damon nodded slowly and grabbed his jacket. "Where are you going?" Enzo called after his back.   
"To get drunk." The door slammed shut behind him. 

Two hours later, Alaric slid into his usual seat at the Grill. "The hell do you want?" Damon asked, his voice muffled because he had his head on the bar table, arms wrapped around his head. "To make sure you're not killing yourself." Alaric replied. Damon was a mess. His hair was stuck up from his fingers running through it so many times, he reeked of alcohol and he was paler than Alaric had ever seen him. "You hate me, why do you suddenly care so much?" Damon snapped at him. He lifted his head slowly and waved for another bourbon. "I think you've had enough there, mate. You're wasted." The bartender said. Damon grabbed the front of the young man's shirt and pulled him so they were nose-to-nose. "Listen here, _mate_. I just found out a couple of hours ago that my little brother is dead. Now get me..." his pupils dilated. "...another damn bourbon." He all but threw the bartender away from him, who hurriedly ran to fulfil the compulsion. Once Damon had a fresh bourbon in his hand, he turned to Alaric. "Well? Why the hell do you care? You my _best buddy_ again now that my brother's dead?" Alaric shook his head.   
"No. I'm here because, as much as I don't think I should, there's still a part of me that cares about you. I don't want to see you like this, we need to go home." It was Damon's turn to shake his head.   
"Nah-ah. Not going back there for a loooooong time. Few days at least. Can't live there knowing Stefan ain't there anymore." Alaric sighed.   
"Damon, we have Stefan's body in the car. You need to come home so we can bury him. I'm assuming you want him to have a funeral, right?" Damon hesitated for a second, then nodded slowly. "Exactly. So come home. The sooner we get this done, the sooner it's over with and you can grieve for as long as you need to then." Alaric said. Damon looked at him, anger plastered on his face. "You think I want this _over_? You seriously think I want Stefan's life to just be _done_? After how long he's lived? Everything he's done, you think I just want all of that to be _over_? He stood up shakily. "No. For the record, I don't. Stefan's my little brother, Rick. We ain't giving him a funeral that was planned in a day. His life needs proper celebration." With that, he compelled the bartender to forget he was ever there and left the bar. Alaric left him a large tip, paid for his drink, then walked out after Damon. "Damon, hey." Damon stopped walking and spun around to face Alaric. "Where are you going?" Alaric asked.   
"Home. That's where you need me, isn't it?" Alaric nodded. "Okay, but at least let me drive you. I'm going there anyway to help Caroline, she started planning about an hour ago." Damon followed Alaric to the car, then they drove in silence back to the Boarding House. 

"Damon, finally! I need you to look over this." Caroline said as soon as they walked through the door. Alaric had forced Damon to drink blood and water, so he was sober again. "What, Caroline?" He groaned, following her into the kitchen. The table was full of papers. Lists, pictures of coffins and flowers, more lists and pictures of churches. "The funeral is there." She said, pointing to a picture of a fairly local church. "These people are coming." She pointed today a short list of people to attend. "We're getting these flowers-"  
"Hang on, let me stop you right there, Blondie." Damon interrupted. Caroline looked mildly offended, but silenced herself anyway. "All of this, thanks, but no. I know you're a planner and you want to be in charge of organising this but _please_ , let me take the lead on this. I know I was lousy most of the time, but Stefan was my brother. I loved him, and now he's gone. I don't want this funeral to be organised in a few hours. I want it properly done, time taken with it to make it perfect, just like he deserves." Caroline, despite the situation, huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.   
"Funny time to start appreciating your brother." Damon had done it, he'd tried to be nice, but that was a no-go. His face morphed into fury and he stepped closer to Caroline. "Look, I get that you two were _in love_ , I get that you were gonna get _married_ , but he was my _little brother_. I've known him his entire life, Caroline. Literally. As much as we hated each other at times, we knew that neither would let anything bad come of the other. We protected each other, loved each other, especially these last few years! So don't you _dare_ , ever tell me that I don't appreciate my brother. I loved him, I cared about him, and now he is _gone_ , Caroline! The least I can do is this one last thing to thank him and give him the damn good send off he's earned." Caroline may be stubborn, but she knew when she had lost a fight. She pursed her lips, nodded, and backed away, gesturing towards the table of paper. "These are the ideas I've had so far. Are there any family traditions you Salvatores go by?"

Five days later, the funeral was set and organised. Bonnie had spelled Stefan's body to preserve it so that Damon could take as long as he needed planning. Caroline had cried a few times, Damon had screamed over the phone at useless funeral directors and bankers, and Enzo had brought over coffee one morning only to be immediately thrown out by an extremely stressed Damon Salvatore and Caroline Forbes. They wanted everything to be perfect, just the way Stefan needed. Both of them knew he would've hated all the fuss but, as Damon had stated, 'he deserves it for dying on us.' 

A week after the group got back, it was time to bury Stefan. Damon put on the suit he was supposed to wear to Lily's funeral, even wearing the tie that he had lent to Stefan that day. Enzo was surprised he even still had it, to which Damon had scoffed and told him he had no idea either until he looked. Alaric had hidden all of the bourbon in Damon's house, he wasn't going to let the older Salvatore go to Stefan's funeral drunk. Damon didn't even bother looking, he never had those intentions. 

At 10 o'clock, people started arriving in the church. First Tyler, then Matt and Jeremy. After them came a few of Stefan's vampire friends, a few of the deputies, then Valerie, followed by...  
The Mikaelsons.   
Rebekah walked in wearing a flowing black gown, followed by Klaus and Elijah, both of whom were wearing smart, black tuxedos. Damon walked up to the brothers as Rebekah greeted Caroline. "You're here. Didn't think you'd show up. It was Caroline's ides to invite you by the way, not mine." Elijah offered his hand in reply. Damon shook it. "Our condolences, Damon. I was never particularly close with Stefan, but we had a mutual respect of sorts." Damon looked at him suspiciously, but Klaus chose that moment to speak up. "Unlike my brother here, Stefan and I were just that once... brothers. I am truly sorry for your loss, Damon. The world will be a different place without Stefan." The brothers walked past Damon then, leaving him stunned that the Mikaelsons weren't taunting him about this. He turned to Caroline, who had been watching them sceptically. "Did you tell them to be nice?" He asked, pointing at Klaus and Elijah's retreating backs. Caroline walked over to him. "I told Klaus not to be a dick, but I knew Elijah wouldn't do anything, he's too honourable." Damon scoffed, but he had to agree with her. A few more townspeople arrived, even some of the school teachers, then the vampires started compelling the unknowing humans to ignore anything out of the ordinary that was said during the service. At 11 o'clock, said service began. 

It started with the priest, who was also compelled, saying a few words about life and death, then Caroline got up to talk about her relation with Stefan. A hymn was sung, then it was time for Damon to give the eulogy. 

_"Oh you are so doing the eulogy, Damon Salvatore!" Caroline shouted, slamming her hands down on the table. "No way! You do it. I did your mother's, you can do my brother's." Caroline huffed. He had a point. "No. He's your brother. I've known him for, what, six years? You've known him for 170, Damon! Please, you can give a better judgement on his life than I ever could!" She pleaded  
"Are you forgetting that I spent a good 145 of those years hating him, deliberately making his life a living hell?" Caroline nodded.   
"Yes! And I still think you could do a better job than I could! Please, you've been saying this whole time how you and Stefan never told each other how much you really loved and cared for each other, now is your chance!"_

Damon walked up to the stand, half-written speech clasped in his shaking hand. "Stefan was born in 1846. I was seven years old, but I remember it clear as day. I remember my mother handing him to me the first time, and I was so scared of dropping him that I refused to touch him unless I was sat in the middle of the bed." A few people chuckled at that. "When we were kids, all we did was be together. We had a lousy father, so we were always doing things in secret to defy him. We would often sneak extra cookies from the jar, Stefan sat on my shoulders so he could reach on top of the cupboard." Caroline was smiling with tears streaming down her cheeks, as were most of the others in the church. "We went on mini adventures together, even when he was seven and I was fourteen, I always took him with me. We found a waterfall not far from here when I was eleven, and it had a little cave that had most amazing lake we'd ever seen. It became our designated spot where we hid all the things father couldn't see. From toys we weren't allowed when we were kids, to booze and different clothes when we were teens." Alaric laughed aloud at that, but quickly shut himself up. Damon shot him a smirk. "I'll never forget the day I was told father had signed me up for the Confederacy, to fight in the civil war. I was 22, Stefan 15. I told him about an hour after I found out, that was the first time I'd seen him cry since he was 12. You see, Stefan was strong. So strong. Even after we became vampires and I promised him a lifetime of misery for betraying me, long story, he withstood it. Every time I screwed up his life, our relationship, his relationships, we always found a way to make up for a few years. He always found a way to forgive me. He shouldn't have done, but that's who Stefan was. He forgave and forgot. These last six years or so have been the best Stefan and I have had since the 1850s and '60s. We were brothers again, thanks to him forgiving me _yet again_ and me finally forgiving him for betraying me in 1864. We never spoke about it, that's not who we were, and it may have seemed like we hated each other. But Stefan and I, we... we cared about each other. We loved each other, _protected each other_. Yes, we may have tried to kill each other a few times. Hell, we might have _actually_ killed each other a few times, but we always went back to each other. At the end of the day, we're brothers. And _nothing_ , from the moment he was born to the moment he died, nothing could've separated us. But now... I guess fate found a way, because I'm sure as hell Stefan would be _pissed_ if I killed myself for him." A round of chuckles went round the audience. "Stefan was always stronger than me, even when he was on a vegan diet. Maybe not always physically. But mentally, internally, Stefan will always be a better man than I could possibly dream of becoming." With that, Damon turned around to the open coffin and looked down at his brother, placing his hands on the lid. "I love you, little brother. Sorry I never said that enough." Damon closed the lid and sealed it, then went to sit back down. The priest said a few more words, Klaus said a piece about their time in the 1920s, then the exit music started to play and people filed out towards the graveyard. 

Stefan was to be placed in the family crypt. Damon, Enzo, Caroline, Bonnie, Tyler and Jeremy carried the coffin down the small alley towards the crypt, watched by the other attendees. Most had gone straight home but Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah, Valerie, Matt and a couple of Stefan's other vampire friends had stayed for the burial. The six coffin carriers stepped back as the box was laid in the crypt. Enzo hugged a sobbing Bonnie while Matt comforted Caroline. Klaus was soothing Rebekah, Elijah's hand resting on his shoulder. Jeremy, Matt and Tyler had arms around each other's shoulders. "Here lies Stefan Salvatore." The priest said. "A kinda, selfless soul. He will be missed by many." Damon swallowed the lump in his throat and blinked back the stinging behind his eyes. He wouldn't cry. "Stefan was good. A good man. He didn't deserve this, any of it. He loved us all, he died trying to save us from something truly horrible. He didn't deserve this." Damon said, the last four words barely above a whisper. The others nodded their approval as the stone was sealed, blocking Stefan's coffin from view. Everyone stayed behind for a few minutes, then started to filter out until it was just left with Damon, Enzo and the Mikaelsons stood in the crypt (Bonnie had taken Caroline home). "Klaus, perhaps you should take Rebekah back to the house." Klaus nodded. Before he left, he placed a hand on the stone covering the coffin. "Good luck, mate." He smiled sadly at Damon, then guided Rebekah out into the woods. "Stefan really was a brave man. I'm sorry you had to lose him, Damon. You were right with what you said, every word. I know what it's like to lose a brother, having lost three of my own. I know how hard today has been for you." Damon didn't move or say a word, he kept his eyes glued to Stefan's burial place. Elijah then copied Klaus' earlier movements, laying a hand on the stone. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Stefan. I can only hope you find peace, wherever you are." Elijah placed his hand softly on Damon shoulder, and motioned to Enzo with his other hand not to listen. He then leaned in to Damon's ear and whispered so softly even Damon had to strain to hear him. "It's alright to cry over a lost brother, Damon. Even Klaus and I did when we lost Henrik, Kol and Finn. Don't be ashamed." With that, he patted Damon a couple of times then left the crypt. 

A few minutes later, Damon and Enzo were still looking at the stone, reading the words over and over again as though reading them enough times would bring the youngest Salvatore back. 

_Stefan Salvatore  
1846-2016  
A loving brother, fiancé and friend  
Selfless to the end._

"You alright, mate?" Enzo asked lowly, breaking the silence. "I miss him, Enzo." Damon muttered. "He's my little brother, I should've been there to protect him. That's my job." Enzo could hear the emotion in Damon's voice. One glance at the older man's face and he saw the tears threatening to fall. "He was supposed to get married, live a few more centuries. We were just back in good terms, Enzo, we were brothers again..." a few tears fell from Damon's eyes. "... we were finally brothers again, we had each other back, then he died." Enzo turned to look at Damon. His pale, chiselled face was streaked with tears. "I can't say I know what you're going through, because I don't. I was an only child. But Damon, Stefan knew what he was getting into, he knew the risks. You can't blame yourself for this, you know he didn't want you to come."  
"And since when have I listened to him?" Damon's voice was raised and several octaves higher than normal. "When have I ever took his advice? I should've damned him and gone anyway, but I didn't. Now look what's happened." Damon all but collapsed onto one of the benches. Tears filled his eyes again as Enzo sat down next to him. "He had everything he had always wanted. He was getting married to a beautiful vampire girl, he had me back just like we used to be, he had friends who he could fully trust. He was happy." Enzo nodded and wrapped and arm around Damon's shoulders. "He should be here." Damon whispered. "He should be here to get married to Caroline, to be brothers with me again, to be my best man when Elena and I eventually get married ourselves. But he's not, Enzo. He's gone. He should be here." That made Damon break. He bowed his head, Enzo rubbing his back soothingly. Sobs shook his body, and for once Damon didn't care that someone was seeing him cry. He and Enzo had listened to each other scream and cry in agony every day for five years, this was nothing new. They sat there for a long while, Damon crying while Enzo comforted him, until eventually Damon fell asleep with his head in his hands. 

"How is he?" Caroline asked when Enzo came back down the stairs at the Boarding House. "He'll be fine, although he'll probably want to get drunk tomorrow." Alaric and Caroline chuckled at the thought of that- they both knew it was true. "I'd say let him, just let him get drunk this one time then keep a distant eye on him." Elijah pitched in from the shadows. He was the only Mikaelson there, but nobody seemed to mind. "He needs space to grieve, Klaus is exactly the same. But don't tell him that." The other three chuckled at the remark. "He needs his space, but just have someone else home to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." The others agreed and Elijah left after offering his condolences again. "What about you, Caroline? You alright?" Enzo asked. Caroline smiled at him. "Yeah, I always find funerals useful for closure. I'll be okay, once we kill whatever the hell killed Stefan." Enzo chuckled and gave her a brief hug. "I'm gonna take the room next to Damon's. He won't mind. I'll see you whenever." Enzo said, making his way upstairs. Caroline and Alaric talked for a few more minutes, then they also left to their respective houses. 

And Damon laid awake, flat on his back, tears streaming down the side of his face as he listened to the conversation below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Sorry that was so long, I just got really into it XD. Anyways, hope you enjoyed that. Again, I tried not to make it too OOC (although I did take some inspiration from 5x22). Reviews and requests welcome as always! Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	10. Mommy Ripper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **I was pretty annoyed that Kai just left Damon after he told him his Mum's a Ripper, so here I am deciding to rewrite it.  
>  Characters: Kai, Damon  
> Pairings: None  
> Warnings: OOC  
> Summary: "Your mom's a Ripper!" Kai yelled, silencing Damon.**

Damon slammed Kai up against the wall. "You said we could get her back!" He growled in his face. Kai remained calm, saying "I'm telling you as a...   
semi-sane person, you really don't want that."  
"And I'm telling you, as a vampire who _eats_ people..." Damon interrupted, anger coursing through his veins.  
"... you really _don't_ wanna piss me off."   
"I'm trying to save your life." Kai said, but that only served to make Damon's anger worse. He gave Kai an extra shove against the wall. "Tell me how to get her back!"   
"Your mom's a Ripper!" Kai yelled, silencing Damon.   
"Ok? She's a Ripper." He repeated, slightly calmer.   
Damon released Kai, who moved a few steps away from him. They turned to face each other, Damon's face demanding explanation.   
"She turned in 1858." Kai began. "Faked her death, went to Europe where she... went a little nuts." 

This was all getting too much for Damon.   
"No." He murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.   
"Bodies piled up, she moved to kill some more until she had to move again." Damon shook his head in disbelief, but Kai wasn't done yet. "Maybe _three thousand_ in total." Damon was being overloaded with information. It was impossible that his sweet, loving mother was a Ripper who killed thousands. "That's enough." He said, his voice still at the same low level. Kai ignored him, continuing his explanation. "And, for some reason, my Coven made it their duty to stop her." Damon tried to say something, raising a hand to silence Kai that fell almost immediately as words failed him. "So they cut her off in New York harbour before she could tear through Manhattan." Kai said, oblivious to Damon's distress. "Granted, by the time they got to the ship, everybody was dead." Damon let out a short breath, his chest was tightening; he couldn't take much more of this. "It was so gruesome, they had to burn it there at the harbour."   
" _I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH_!" Damon roared, but his voice was strained and several octaves higher than usual. Kai took a few steps back as Damon glared at him. "I guess I'll just show myself out." He said. Damon didn't say anything as Kai walked past him, he just glared. 

Just as Kai made it to the front door, he heard the thud of a body and a grunt. Damon had collapsed onto the steps, obviously unable to handle the weight of the load Kai had just put on him. Cursing the feelings that had come with merging with Luke, Kai paused and turned around. Damon was breathing heavily, his chest wheezing slightly. To Kai, Damon sounded like he was having some sort of panic attack. That thought was what made him sigh a little, then walk back over to the vampire, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I know that's not nice news to hear, and I'm sorry I had to be the one to deliver it to you. It's an immense burden to carry." Damon looked up at Kai. "Thought you were leaving." He grunted. Kai sighed and move to sit on Damon's right. "No, that would be wrong of me to leave you like this. I'm blaming the feelings Luke gave me, but I'm not leaving you after being the one to dump such a... dark truth onto your shoulders." Damon blinked a few times, his breathing still heavy. "Dumb question, but are you alright? I don't like the sound of your breathing." Damon grabbed his chest, pulling on his shirt slightly, but nodded. "Fine." He choked out, but his deep breathing remained the same. "Here, sit up with your back against the wall." Kai said. Damon just shot him a death look.   
"I said I'm fine." He growled out amidst gasps of breath. Kai patted him on the shoulder. "Yep, but your lungs are telling me you're having a panic attack. Now, back against the wall." Damon glared at Kai for a few more seconds, then did as asked. "Good, now back straight, bend your knees slightly, put your hands on them. Keep your head up." Damon slowly and reluctantly did as he was told, and Kai could see the position had helped open the vampire's lungs up slightly. "Excellent. Now, just take some deep breaths." Damon was eyeing Kai sceptically, but he ignored it. Instead, he looked into Damon's extraordinarily blue eyes and smiled softly. "Breathe, Damon. This is a lot to take in, I know, and I'm sorry. Just breathe, then I promise I'll try my best to answer any questions you have." He said quietly. Surprisingly, Damon nodded and took several deep breaths. "It's not working." He grunted out a few minutes later. Kai sighed again. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but whatever it takes." He took Damon's right hand in his own. Damon tried to pull it away, but Kai held firm and made eye contact with the vampire. "Trust me. Just on this, trust me." Damon fought for a few more seconds, then relaxed his arm. Kai placed the right hand on his own chest, then told Damon to put the left hand on his. Damon did so, laying his hand just above his heart. Kai held Damon’s limp wrist to stop it dropping off of his chest, then took a deep breath. "Match your breaths to mine." He instructed, then continued taking deep, steady breaths. After about a minute, Damon was able to match his breaths evenly to Kai's. "Good." Kai said after about five matched breaths. "That's really good. You doing any better?" Damon, who had closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall behind him, nodded. After a few more breaths, Kai let go of Damon's arm. "What the hell just happened?" Damon said, his voice now steady.   
"A panic attack. You ever had one before?" Damon thought for a second. "Once. In 1956. I was one of the Augustine vampires, pretty sure you can guess what caused it." Kai looked surprised at the revelation of Damon being one of the Augustines, but he quickly masked it and nodded. 

"So, what the hell is my mother doing in a 1903 prison world, and how the hell do we get her out?" Kai gaped at him. "Have you listened to a word I've said? She is a _Ripper_ who killed _3000 people_ in _one town_." Damon shrugged.   
"So? Stefan's a Ripper, he's capable of doing the same thing and yet, he's doing just fine as long as he keeps his humanity on." Kai shook his head and let out a long breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Look, Damon. Your mom is dangerous with or without her humanity. Where Stefan only becomes a Ripper if his is _off_ , Lily Salvatore is a Ripper _all the time_. If she gets out, there'll be no stopping her. She will tear through entire towns and cities in her bloodlust. Nobody, not even you or Stefan, will be able to stop her." Damon shook his head. "No. No, there has to be some way for her to gain control, to be a reasonable vampire."   
"Not this time. She tried. She tried to get it under control but _it_ controls _her_. She's dangerous, Damon. She could tear through Mystic Falls in a day. She kills everyone who gets in her way, supernatural or not." Damon fumbled for words, but once again they failed him. "I'm sorry Damon, but you really did lose your mom in 1858. She's not the same person you once knew."  
"Shut up." Damon ordered, his voice dangerously low. "She is my mother. I've spent the past 150 odd years thinking she is dead, and I've just found out that she is alive. I don't care if she is a Ripper, I want her out and back in this world where she belongs, not in some stupid prison world." As he ranted, Kai stared into his eyes and all he saw was passion, pain and desperation. "You miss her, don't you?"  
"Of course I miss her." Damon choked. There was a painful lump growing in his throat, but he quickly swallowed it and ignored the stinging behind his eyes. "She is my mother. I can't leave her in there, Kai. She's already been in there for over a hundred years. If she's left in there with only her Heretics, she's gonna run out of blood. She'll be left to desiccate alone. I can't leave her there, we have to get her out." Damon couldn't keep the desperation out of his voice. Kai, once again cursing the feeling forced upon him, laid a hand gently on Damon's shoulder. "I know, Damon. Believe me, I-"  
"No you don't!" Damon interrupted, vamp speeding to a stand a few feet away from Kai. "You don't know! That is my _mother_ in there, Kai. A mother who once loved me, cared for me, held me after I was beaten by my father, looked after me when I was sick as a child. And now she is stuck in that place with probably no blood and Heretics who have probably already desiccated. I lost her once, Kai. I just found out she's alive and you want me to lose her _again_. I can't do that. Not again." Damon voice shook violently throughout his rant, even cracking a few times. The lump in his throat was now agonising and he couldn't see through the liquid that filled his eyes. Kai ignored it when a few tears spilled down Damon's cheeks, instead stepping forward slightly. "Damon, you have to understand something. I know that releasing Lily means you get your mother back, but that also means thousands of lives could be lost. I know you don't want that, deep down and I know you don't want to see your hometown destroyed in a matter of days. Please, Damon. Listen to what I'm saying. She. Is. _Dangerous_. Like, more dangerous than even I am. Or was, before I got these damn feelings." Damon huffed and more tears spilled from his eyes. No matter what state she was in, Damon didn't want to lose his mother again. "Look, I don't care if she's a Ripper." He said after taking a deep, steadying breath. "I don't care if she's killed thousands of people, she didn't have anyone before. She didn't have Stefan, or me. We can help teach her control, Stefan especially. We can _help her_ , Kai. Maybe we can even get Klaus or Elijah to compel some of that control into her." Kai stayed silent, letting Damon make his point. "When mother died, Stefan was distraught. He cried for hours at a time, he barely ate for weeks, he had nightmares that only I seemed to be able to help him through. He would climb into my bed at ridiculous hours and just cry until he fell asleep with my arms around him. His humanity is off. For him to see mother again, it'll be his dream come true. Literally." Kai sighed yet again and moved over, grasping Damon by the shoulders. "Damon, I've listened to you and I get your point, but now you need to listen to me. I know you miss your mother, and I know she means a ticket to Stefan's humanity switch. But Damon, she is so dangerous. Even I wouldn't want to cross her. She would kill both you and Stefan in heartbeat if you got in her way. She's kill all of you. Caroline, Bonnie, Enzo, Matt... _Elena_. She will kill all of you if you get in her way." Damon shook his head desperately and threw Kai's hands off of him. "No. One of my biggest regrets is not going to my mother's funeral. I was supposed to give the eulogy, but I didn't even attend the funeral because I was too cowardly to stand it. This is my chance to make up for that, to see her again and apologise and tell her how much Stefan and I loved her. I can't just walk away after knowing where she is, what she's left with." Tears now streamed down Damon's face, soaking his cheeks. 

"Kai, I am begging you. _Please_ , tell me how I can get my mother back." Kai huffed out a breath and looked at the floor. "You're asking me to release literally the world's most dangerous vampire ever to exist... ever." He said, not taking his eyes off the carpet. "Give Stefan and me a chance to get her under control, to teach her how to keep the Ripper at bay."   
Kai thought for a long minute, then sighed once more and looked up at Damon. "If I release her, you have a month to get her under control. If she goes haywire again, she is straight back in 1903. Fair?" Damon gasped. He looked like he could kiss Kai. "Yes. Yes, that's fine. Stefan and I can get right onto it as soon as his switch is back on." He said, tears welling up in his eyes again.   
"You'll need a different Ascendant. I don't know where it is, but I'm guessing Jo has it. Find that, and you can get your mom back." Damon groaned and closed the distance between him and Kai, pulling the younger man into a tight embrace. "Thank you. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much that will mean to Stefan and me." He released Kai, who chuckled and wiped Damon's face with the back of his hand. "Good, now I suggest you go and talk to your buddy Ric. We can't get to 1903 without that Ascendant. As Damon nodded and rushed past him with a grin on his face, Kai smiled. Truly smiled. That was the first time he'd been hugged in a very, very long time. Behind him, he heard Damon pause on his rush to the door. "Kai." Kai turned around to face the vampire. "Thank you. I know this is difficult for you." He said, his face serious. Kai chuckled and waved him away like it was nothing. "Just get that Ascendant." Damon's face broke into a grin again and he vamp sped out of the door. 

Kai helped himself to bourbon and sat down on the couch in front of the fire. Maybe feelings weren't so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I'm reallyreallyreally sorry if that was too OOC! I loved the scene how it was, but I really wished Kai had stayed to help Damon. Anyways, reviews and requests welcome. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	11. Goodbye, Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Okokok I finished watching TVD last night (first time) and I COULD NOT HANDLE the last episode! Stefan's death hurt so much it left me sobbing. I was annoyed that we didn't see Damon's reaction afterwards, so here I am writing it. I tried to keep it in character, but who knows?  
>  Characters:   
> Pairings: Stefan/Caroline, Damon/Elena  
> Warnings: mayyyybe OOC slightly  
> Summary: "Goodbye, brother."**

"Goodbye brother."   
Damon's eyes were closed as Stefan murmured his last words. Damon fought the pull of unconsciousness the Cure had, straining to open his eyes, to get a last glimpse of his brother, but it was too late. Damon heard the roar of the Hellfire as it went past, he knew it had engulfed Stefan and Katherine along with it. He felt the heat of the flames, saw the orange glow that shon through his closed eyelids before darkness took over. 

Damon awoke on a couch. He smelt the familiar smell of the Boarding House. He could hear whispered voices across the room, and strained his ears to hear what was being said. He couldn't do it. His hearing couldn't be stretched. Damon sat up suddenly, he wasn't used to not being able to do that. He tried once more to listen to the whispered voices, but he just couldn't pick them up. "What the hell?" He muttered.   
"Damon! You're awake!" Caroline came over to him, a hesitant smile on her face. Damon could see she had been crying- why had she been crying? "My hearing... I couldn't hear what you were saying." Caroline exchanged a nervous glance with Alaric, who was stood just behind her. "Damon, what do you remember about your time in the tunnels?" Alaric asked. Damon thought for a few seconds. He felt strange... different, yet it was familiar in a way.  
"I was in the tunnels, I was holding Katherine. I had her in my arms, I could hear the Hellfire. I was about a minute away from stabbing her when..." 

It all came back to him in a rush of memories, almost like being released from compulsion. Stefan injecting the Cure into him... the sudden weakness he felt and the pull towards darkness... his eyes closing just as Stefan whispered his last words... Stefan... Stefan in the Hellfire. "When what, Damon?" Caroline pushed. Damon looked up at her from where he had been burning a hole in the floor. "When Stefan stabbed me in the neck with the Cure." Both Caroline and Alaric let out breaths. Clearly, Damon had just confirmed a theory, but he wasn't done yet. His eyes went back to the floor as he continued. "I was weak, bordering on unconsciousness. The Cure was pulling at me, trying to knock me out. Stefan dragged me into an alcove and took Katherine. He stabbed her... I heard his last words... then the Hellfire... then there was darkness and I woke up here." Damon finished. That explained why he couldn't hear them whispering. He was human, no longer a vampire, and Stefan was gone. Stefan was... gone. Damon felt shivers go down his spine. He looked back up at Caroline. "I am so sorry, Caroline. I tried. I compelled him to leave the tunnels, but he takes vervain shots." Damon tried to stand, but a wave of dizziness overcame him. Caroline gently sat him back down. "It must've just been wearing off, because it worked for a while. Caroline, I tried." Caroline sat down on his left and nodded. "I know. Just, if you don't mind me asking... what were his last words?" Tears shon in her eyes, and Damon felt wetness prickling his own. He remembered it all so well now. Stefan looking over at him, an accepting sort of fear written all over his face, his mouth opening to whisper the last two words he would ever say...

"Goodbye, brother." 

Caroline gasped, Alaric sighed and Damon finally let tears fall from his eyes. "Oh my god. Damon, I'm so sorry." Caroline said gently, her hands covering her mouth and tears streaming down her face. Alaric sat down on the coffee table opposite him and rested his elbows on his knees. Damon shook his head and sniffed. Caroline went into the kitchen to get him a drink of water, leaving Damon alone with Alaric.   
"I felt so helpless, Ric. He was sat right there, I should've just moved all of five metres and I would've been able to drag him." He couldn't help the outburst, fresh tears pouring from his eyes. Alaric nodded solemnly, looking up at Damon. "I know, buddy. But you can't blame yourself. You were weak, you couldn't even keep your eyes open, let alone drag your fully grown brother into an alcove."   
He said, a hint of sadness in his tone. Damon knew he was right, but his point still stood. Stefan was right in front of him, just outside the alcove. Damon could've grabbed him and left Katherine. Instead, he was too weakened by that damn Cure to even keep his eyes from shutting. He'll never forget the last image he saw of his brother. The orange glare of the upcoming flames shining his skin, Katherine in his arms, a look of panic that calmed somewhat as he accepted his fate. What hit Damon hard was that Stefan had known he was going to die. He had taken that Cure out of his system and given it to Damon, knowing he was going to burn to death before he could even get the chance to live a life with Caroline. Damon was the last person Stefan ever saw, the last face he looked at and Damon couldn't say a thing. 

Alaric knew Damon still blames himself. He was lost in thought, tears falling rapidly down his cheeks. He knew the older man was thinking of his younger brother, of his last family member's final moments. Damon and Stefan may appear like they hate each other, but they were fooling nobody. Everyone knew they loved and cared about each other. Alaric couldn't help the pain he felt when he learned of Stefan's demise, the empathy he felt for Damon. Damon's eyes were trained on the floor unblinking as tears continued to leak from them. He looked to be in some sort of trance, reliving the moment of his brother's death. Caroline chose that moment to walk back into the room, a plate of sandwiches and a glass of water in her hands. "Hey. I heard you two talking. I didn't listen though, don't worry." She said quietly, but Alaric's eyes never left Damon. "Is he ok?" Caroline asked, gesturing towards Damon's catatonic pose. Alaric shook his head. "No he's not, Caroline. He won't be for a long time." Caroline stood for a second, then held up the plate of sandwiches. "Thought you two might be hungry." She placed them on the coffee table next to Alaric, who took one despite hunger being long absent, and sat back down next to Damon. 

The sinking of the couch beside him brought him out of his reverie. Caroline was back next to him, holding out a wad of tissue. "Here. I brought sandwiches, thought you might be hungry." Damon took the tissue, then gave her a grateful smile as he took a sandwich. He took one mouthful, then he nearly threw up. He couldn't eat, not now. He couldn't handle anything at the moment, let alone food. He put the sandwich on the table and sighed. "Can't eat. Already feel like I'm gonna puke." What the hell was wrong with him, being so open? Oh. His humanity was completely different now. "I'm really human, aren't I?" Caroline nodded. "Great. Hang on, no. Elena." He said, panic suddenly rising in his chest. If he was human, he wouldn't live to see Elena rise. Caroline laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "Bonnie thinks she knows how to break the spell now that Kai is dead. She's trying it as we speak, but she said the best thing we could do was leave her alone." Damon was about to protest, but he saw reason. That was strange in itself, he was used to the rage and desperation taking over his thoughts. "Yeah. Yeah, ok. This whole being human thing sucks, why on earth would people choose it, I don't know." Alaric and Caroline chuckled.   
"Hey, you did at one point, buddy. Remember?" Damon scoffed. Of course he remembered. But that was when he was sure he would get Elena back one day. When, even if he didn't, he still had Stefan. Until Stefan was made human, and Damon thought all hope of him ever getting the Cure was lost lest he killed his brother. And now...   
"Stefan injected me with Cure so I could live with Elena." He realised.   
"Huh?" Caroline asked.   
"If he'd have died with the Cure in him, I wouldn't have been able to get it. He didn't give it to me to weaken me, he could've just used vervain for that. No, he gave me the Cure so I could be with Elena. Even if he'd have survived, he would've been dead in a few weeks. He sacrificed himself so that I could be happy with Elena." Damon ranted, fresh tears forming in his eyes. God he hated not being able to repress his emotions properly. Alaric and Caroline seemed to come to the same conclusion, and they shared a look. Stefan had sacrificed his and Caroline's life together so that Damon and Elena could have theirs. "I am so sorry, Caroline. I was there, I was ready to die. I was gonna do it-" he tried to say, but Caroline interrupted him.   
"I know. For once, you were playing the hero. Damon, I know and I thank you for that. You were so ready to just throw your immortal life away for Stefan's mortal one and I thank you for that. It's just... Stefan never could let anyone die for him if he had any say in it." Damon scoffed and chuckled despite himself. "Yeah... Saint Stefan with his hero hair." He smiled. It was a forced, strained smile... but he smiled. 

**Ok this part of the OneShot is moving away from the original idea above, but I want it in this chapter rather than make a whole other story about it.**

Damon approached the place he was told the Mikaelsons now lived. It was a large house, a mansion, no less. He knocked on the door a few times and listened for footsteps. When there was nothing, he knocked again. "Klaus, can you answer the bloody door? I'm having a bath!" He heard someone yell. Looking up, he saw a window open with a light on. "Kol, I'm busy! Elijah, get the door!"   
"Why me?" Damon was highly amused listening to the 1000+ year old Originals argue over a door.  
"Because I'm busy! Get the door, would you!"  
"Rebekah, get the door!" Damon heard Elijah shout. "Nah-ah, I'm wearing pyjamas!"  
"No one cares what you're wearing, will someone ANSWER THE BLOODY DOOR?" Damon heard Kol shout again from above. He sighed.   
"Or I could just open it?" He said, raising his voice slightly.   
"Was that Damon Salvatore I just heard?" He heard Klaus ask. "That's exactly my thought." Elijah replied. A second later, the door swung open revealing a very irritated-looking Kol Mikaelson wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. "Yup, the big bad Salvatore is here. Excuse me, I'm returning to my bath." He said, then vamp-sped back up the stairs just as Elijah and Klaus came into view. "Damon, what a surprise! Is your brother with you?" Elijah asked. Damon's heart clenched and he shook his head stiffly. "No. No, just me." He choked out, then stepped over the threshold. "Whoa." Klaus said behind him. Damon looked over at him. "What? Sorry, have I intruded? It's just I really need to talk to you." Klaus and Elijah gaped at him. In any other circumstance than this one, the sight of their dropped jaws would've been comical. Elijah recovered first. "No it's just... we didn't invite you in and we only recently bought this place." Damon chuckled.   
"Not clicked yet?" Klaus stiffened.   
"You're human." He said.   
"Ding ding ding. Jackpot." Damon replied humourlessly.   
"But, what about Elena? And I heard Stefan was human now?" Elijah pestered. Damon's stomach rolled again. "That's exactly why I need to speak to you."

Once the five of them (Damon, Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah and a slightly irritated Kol) were seated on the couches in the large living room, all attention turned to Damon. "So... what is it you needed to talk to us about?" Elijah began. Damon leant forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "What do you know about the recent events in Mystic Falls?" All four Originals sighed.   
"We know that the devil was in town and that he planned to unleash Hellfire and destroy Mystic Falls, but he obviously failed. That's about it." Klaus answered. Damon had to hand it to them, they were pretty observant. "Ok. Here's the thing... he didn't fail. Well, he kinda did. Hellfire was unleashed on Mystic Falls, only we used it to destroy Hell." Several surprised looks were exchanged, and Kol scoffed. "I'm sorry, you... _destroyed_ Hell?" He said, disbelieving. "Yeah, and the person who replaced Cade, aka the Devil, along with it." Then, Damon launched into the story of how Damon had tried to give up his soul to Cade in order to save Stefan and Elena, only for Stefan to kill Cade and save him at the last second. He told them that Cade was then replaced by Katherine and how Kai and Vicki had come back. "Wait. So, if you killed Cade but that didn't work... how did killing Katerina work?" Elijah asked. Damon sighed. This was where things got difficult. "Because... this time, when we killed the Devil, we sent her back to Hell along with the Hellfire." The Mikaelsons looked at him, utterly confused. He sighed again, then elaborated. "In order to send Katherine back to Hell, she had to be dead when that happened. The makeshift bone dagger we made only kept her down for a few minutes, so someone had to be there to kill her when the Hellfire came." Then, Damon told the story of their plan to spell the Hellfire through the tunnels so that Bonnie could turn it around to send it back through the bell and into Hell. He told them how Damon had planned to be the sacrifice, to kill Katherine when the Hellfire came through the tunnels. He told them how Stefan had come to his rescue, only for Damon to compel him away. Compulsion that only worked for a short while because Stefan's vervain shot was wearing off. "Then, how the bloody hell are you sat here if you got burnt with Hellfire?" Kol asked. He was really starting to get on Damon's nerves. "Because, like I said. The compulsion only worked for a short while. I could hear the Hellfire, it wasn't too far away. I could even see the glow, it was so close. That's when I heard someone running through the tunnels, but I was too bothered with Katherine to care. Stefan injected his blood, the Cure, into me and threw me into a nearby alcove. He dragged Katherine to just outside of it, I was too weakened by the Cure to do anything. When the Hellfire came, he stabbed Katherine and said his last words just as my eyes finally closed. I didn't miss the Hellfire, though. That was the last thing I felt before I fell unconscious. Saw the glow through my eyelids." Rebekah gasped, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. Kol, Klaus and Elijah were silent until Elijah spoke up. "Stefan is... dead?" Rebekah let out a soft sob. Strange, Damon forgot they were close once. "Yeah. To save me. Gave me the Cure so that I could still live a human life with Elena, he knew the second he drew his blood that he was a gonner. Sacrificed himself to save me." He said quietly, trying not to let the emotion take over his voice. Klaus surprised him, speaking up for the first time. "I am so sorry, Damon." Damon looked up from the floor at him. "Huh. Thanks." Rebekah had tears steaming down her face. "Is there no way to bring him back?" She whispered. Elijah wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "No, no there isn't. He's gone this time. We recovered what was... what was left of him. Buried it in the family crypt. You're more than welcome to visit any time you like." Damon said, then Kol sighed.   
"Stefan was your little brother, wasn't he?" He said, his voice void of all previous irritation and disbelief. "Yeah. Seven years’ difference." Damon replied, trying not to let the painful memories of 1864 envelope him.   
"Then I'm sorry for your loss." Everyone turned to look at Kol. "What? I am. I know I'm the youngest Mikaelson here, but I know the pain of losing a little brother." He addressed his brothers and sister.   
"Thank you, Kol." Damon answered. Kol nodded at him in reply. "Well, sorry to dump that on you tonight, but I've been putting it off for a while and didn't really want you to find out via rumour." He said with finality, standing up.   
"Thank you for telling us, Damon. You're right, the rumour will fly through here soon enough. You Salvatore brothers are somewhat legendary after all." Damon chuckled at Elijah's response.   
"Yeah, well. I'll be going, god knows I need a good night time drive after that." The Mikaelsons all stood as well, Klaus gesturing to the door. "We are all truly sorry for your loss. We'll stop by Mystic Falls at some point to pay respects. Stefan was a dear friend of mine and Rebekah's once." Klaus said, clapping Damon on the shoulder. Damon nodded and opened the front door. "Thank you for your time, again I'm sorry to dump this on you." He said, then closed the door gently. 

"Oh my god." Rebekah gasped, falling to the floor. Klaus leant his back against the door, closing his eyes tightly. Kol bent down to comfort Rebekah, and Elijah watched Klaus carefully. Klaus let slip a few tears, but Elijah said nothing about them. Rebekah was crying softly on the floor, but Kol was whispering soothing words to her. So Elijah moved over to Klaus, laying a hand on his shoulder. "He was my brother, Elijah." Klaus said, not opening his eyes. "In the 1920s, he was my brother." Elijah nodded solemnly.   
"I know. Stefan and I were were never... friends of sorts, but we had a mutual respect for each other." With that, Elijah pulled Klaus into a gentle, comforting hug. 

Damon drove until he was out of the city, then pulled over on an empty road. He'd been fighting the tears the entire drive, but he was now blinded by them. He drove over to the side of the road and laid his head on top his hands on the steering wheel. He let the tears cascade down his face and drip into his lap. "Stefan." He gasped out. He hated reliving that story. Every time it just seemed to get harder. He tried to push the pain away. It had been over a week, he had Elena back and the world was right again. So why did everything hurt so much? Why was he still in agony at the thought of Stefan? Damon sobbed and choked as he gasped for breath. He hasn't properly cried until now, he realised. He'd always pushed it back down because others were there, only letting a few tears out when he first woke up in the Boarding House. Memories flashed in his mind. Memories of Stefan sprinting up to him and hugging him when he got leave from the war. Playing football with Stefan in 1864, teaching him how to ride a horse when he was a child, laughing with him in the Boarding House only a few weeks ago, exchanging Christmas presents last year, coming back from the prison world. They all flashed before him, and Damon's heart clenched with every single one. Each clench felt like a stab from a hot poker, making the agony all the worse. "Damon." 

Damon immediately ceased crying and looked up to his right. "This is not possible." He said. Sat there, clear as day, was Stefan. "Damon, I'm here. There's a witch, where I am. She lets me watch you sometimes. Using your emotional pain, she managed to let you see me, too but I don't know how long this is gonna last. Damon tried to lay a hand in Stefan's shoulder, but it fell straight through. "No. No!" He shouted, still trying to grab his brother. Each time, he only felt something of a breeze. "You can't touch me. I'm just a spirit." Tears continued to fall rapidly down Damon's cheeks. "I need you, Stef. Where are you?" Stefan laid a cold, distant hand in Damon's shoulder. "I'm at peace. You don't need me, Damon. You're good on your own. You'll get through this, you have Elena now." Damon looked up at him, horrified. "How? How can you expect me to just... move on from this? Stefan, you are my little brother and you died to save me!" He exclaimed, fresh tears marking his face.   
"I know. Damon, I know. I knew what I was going to do before I even did it. I love you, and you only just got your human personality back. I wasn't gonna let you throw that away when you just had it. You deserved to live your life a little, have a good time with Elena. You're the better man, Damon. Not me. Me? I'm a Ripper, I have no control. Even through everything, I was always the one who had to forgive but not because you didn't have anything to forgive me for, but because you were the one who always did the bad things! Ever since you set foot back in Mystic Falls and started pulling yourself together, you've been making sacrifices to ensure that I lived as good a life as I could. You turned Bonnie's mom, you gave your soul to Cade, you pushed Elena in my direction. You made so many sacrifices to make me happy that I didn't even realise were sacrifices until it was too late. I had to make this one for you." Stefan finished. Damon was gasping for breath again by the time he was done. "No. No, you didn't have to die, Stefan. I made those... those sacrifices to make up for 145 years of making your life a living Hell, for making you miserable for so long. That's why I did it. Because I owed you, big time." He said, his voice finally going steady and calm. "That last one, when I was supposed to be going along with Katherine, that was me giving you your 145 years of happiness back, and then some. You had Caroline, you were married, Elena was gonna come back. You would've been happy, Stefan. Truly happy and that's all that mattered to me." Stefan shook his head.   
"No, I wouldn't be. Because I wouldn't have my brother." Both brothers were silent then. Stefan seemed to realise what Damon had lost at the same time Damon realised what Stefan had given up. Both answers were the same: their Brotherhood. "I'm sorry, Damon." Stefan whispered.   
"I'm sorry too, Stef." Damon whispered back. The brothers embraced as best they could in the car. Damon could feel the cold presence of Stefan. It wasn't the same, but it was enough. "Thanks for coming to see me." Stefan nodded.   
"I always watch, you know. I'm always here." Damon nodded. "I'll bear that in mind. Thank you, brother." Stefan smiled at him. Damon blinked, and then he was gone. But Damon knew he wasn't truly gone. He was probably still sat there, Damon just couldn't see him. "Let's get going then." With that, Damon restarted the engine and drove, a lightness in his chest he hadn't felt for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I know that changed after a while, and I am so so sorry about that, I just really wanted to get that down. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it. Reviews and requests open as always! Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	12. Five Times Stefan Cried, And One Time He Didn’t

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Ok I tried to keep it as in character as possible. Also, I kinda changed the story of Damon telling Stefan about Katherine to fit this one.  
>  Characters: Stefan, Damon, Giuseppe, Caroline, Emma (OC) and Emily  
> Pairings: Katherine/Stefan, Katherine/Damon (mentioned)  
> Warnings: Major character death/mentions & descriptions of abuse  
> Summary: Five time Stefan Salvatore cried, and one time he should've, but didn't.**

The first time Stefan can remember crying is when he first saw Damon after father had given him a 'talking-to', as mother called it. He was eight years old, mother was away for the weekend, and Stefan had decided to eavesdrop on a 'talking-to' whilst nobody was there to stop him. Damon always came out of them looking different, like he was in pain, and Stefan wanted to know why. He was always ushered up to his room by either mother or Emma, the family servant, so he never heard or saw anything. He was surprised when he heard cracks, slaps and shouts of pain amidst all the shouting. It went on for what felt like hours. Stefan wanted to go in to see why someone, who sounded awfully like Damon, was in so much pain. Eventually, the cracks stopped and Stefan heard father shouting a few final words. "You are a disgrace to this family." He yelled, disgust evident in his voice even to little Stefan. "You would do well to remember that, if you want to set a _proper_ example to your brother." As Stefan heard footsteps nearing the door, he quickly ran into the nearby broom cupboard. Barely a few seconds after Stefan closed the door, father came storming out of the study, fury written on his face as he slammed the door shut behind him. Stefan waited until he heard father's bedroom door close, then he hurried out of the cupboard and into the study. What he saw stopped him in his tracks. Damon was laying shirtless on the floor, blood pouring out of his nose, lip and... the lashes on his back. There were deep gashes tearing Damon's back apart. It was a mess of flesh and blood, so Stefan couldn't actually tell where each individual cut was. He gasped at the sight, taking a couple of steps back. The noise appeared to rouse Damon, who opened his eyes just a crack. "Stefan..." he whispered. "You shouldn't be in here." Stefan felt tears pooling out of his eyes as he ran to his brother and crouched by his head, stroking his hair as Damon had done for him so many times. "Da... Damon." He sobbed. "Why did father do this to you?" Damon didn't answer, he just closed his eyes again. "Stefan... listen to me. Get... Emma." He said, just as quietly as before. Stefan didn't want to leave him, he was too horrified at the sight in front of him. He shook his head, but Damon rose his voice slightly. "Stefan... _go_." Stefan blinked, then nodded and hurried out to fetch Emma, tears flying off of his cheeks in his haste to get there. 

The second time Stefan remembers truly crying is the day of his mother's funeral. He was ten, and Damon was supposed to be doing the speech. He was looking forward to it, he knew Damon would find a way to lighten the mood slightly, even at a funeral. "Have you finished the speech?" He had asked as Damon did Stefan's tie. Damon had pretty much avoided the question, but it didn't bother Stefan. Father called for the boys, and Stefan hurried down the stairs as usual. "Where's your brother?" Father asked, looking highly annoyed hat Damon was all of five seconds late. "I don't know, father. Maybe he's looking for a tie, I had to borrow his because mine doesn't fit any more." Stefan said, gesturing towards his tie. Father nodded stiffly. "Damon, I want you there _on time_. I don't care how you get there, but make it fast, boy!" Father shouted up the stairs and then ushered Stefan into the cart that took them to the church.   
When the funeral was due to start, father looked down at Stefan. "Where is you brother?" Stefan looked around- Damon was nowhere to be seen. "I... I don't know, father. Maybe he's just making last minute additions to his speech." Father huffed. Stefan realised with a jolt that Damon would be getting a 'talking-to' later. "Remember, Stefan. No crying." Stefan nodded. That's all father had been saying since the funeral was being arranged. As the service started, Stefan's eyes filled with tears. Mother was gone, Damon was nowhere to be found, and father was getting angrier by the minute. It was almost time for the eulogy... tears were pouring down Stefan's cheeks... _mother is gone... Damon isn't here_. Soon enough, it was time for Damon's speech. But his brother was still nowhere to be seen. "Damon?" Father called out.   
"Da- Damon?" Stefan copied, his voice shaking slightly. But Damon didn't show up. Fresh tears formed in Stefan's eyes. Damon had betrayed him, left him alone at mother's funeral. Left him to cry and miss mother all by himself. Stefan hated that. He needed Damon there. Always strong, never crying, not even when they were told that mother died. Stefan needed his brother, but Damon wasn't there. Stefan couldn't help it- he let out a small sob. Father slapped him lightly upside the head, then got up to make the speech instead of Damon.   
Stefan cried the rest of the funeral. Not just because mother had died, although that was a strong factor, but because Damon had let him down. He'd promised to make Stefan smile during his eulogy, but instead he'd abandoned his little brother when he was most needed. And Stefan hated him for it. 

The third time Stefan cried was when he found out that Damon had been injured in the war. Stefan was sixteen when Damon left again, his leave coming to an end. Damon had been gone all but three weeks when the family got a telegram. They were all sat in the living room: Stefan, father, Emma (who was stood behind father) and a few of father's friends when another servant delivered the telegram. Stefan immediately recognised it as a war one, and waited anxiously for father to finish reading it. "Ha! I knew the little brute couldn't handle it!" He said, a smile forming on his face. Stefan sat up straighter in his chair, panic rising in his chest. Whenever father smiled, it usually didn't mean good news. Father turned to his friends, who were all just as bad as him. "Damon's been injured in the war. There was an explosion and apparently he got caught in it. Probably threw himself into it just so he could go home if you ask me, the soft coward." Father said with a chuckle. His friends sniggered. "This thing says it looks like he won't make it unless we pay extra for his treatment. Little twerp doesn't deserve it, threatening to desert and all. Someone like him is better off dead, if you ask me." To Stefan's horror, then men chuckled again. "Are you _kidding me_?" Stefan roared, standing up. "Damon is _dying_ and you're just _laughing_ and _insulting him_? We have to help him!" Father also stood, his face turning a funny red colour. "You will not speak to me in that manner, boy." Tears blurred Stefan's vision.   
"And yet you can wish death upon your own son?" He growled out. Father struck Stefan, surprising the boy. Father rarely hit Stefan, it was usually Damon who took beatings. "I said... you will not speak to me in that way, boy." Father said, his voice dangerously low. Stefan stood up straight and wiped his cheeks determinedly, glaring at his father. "No. I will. Because if you can stand there, hit me and insult your injured soldier of a son then I can defend my brother's life. You may hate him, but there are people in this world that don't. Me, his friends. _Mother_." He said, his voice equally low. "If you won't pay for Damon's treatment, then I will. I am not losing my brother to your ignorance, no way." With that, he walked out of the living room, slamming the door behind him.   
Once Stefan was in his room, he collapsed with his back against the door, put his head in his hands and sobbed. Damon was dying, and father was down there laughing about it. Why did father hate Damon so much? What had Damon ever done wrong except stand up for either himself or Stefan? Stefan's chest heaved as he sobbed. He was scared he didn't have enough money, that he wouldn't be able to afford Damon's treatment and his brother would die. Just the thought of Damon lying back in camp alone, in pain and dying, was enough to shake Stefan even more. He would find a way. He would save Damon, no matter the cost. Literally or metaphorically. 

The fourth time Stefan cried was the day he found out he was a vampire. He woke with a start, looking around his unfamiliar surroundings frantically. He was in a large room. There were two single beds with two bedside cabinets and a bit of walking space in between them. Stefan was laid on the right hand one, the other looked like it had recently been vacated. "Damon?" He called. "DAMON?" He shouted a bit louder. Just then, Emily Bennett came into the room. "Hush, child." She said gently. "You're safe. So is Damon, he is outside but I must talk to you before you see him." Stefan relaxed slightly knowing Damon was alright, but he still felt strange. He felt hunger, a different kind of hunger... it was one he'd never felt before. "It's the blood." Emily explained. Stefan gave her a questioning glance. "It's the desire to feed. When you and Damon were shot, you both had vampire blood in your systems, that's how you survived. You're in transition, Stefan. You both are." Stefan gasped, backing up on the bed away from Emily. "No. No, no, no! No, I can't be a vampire! No, Emily, I can't!" He said, tears forming in his eyes. "Wait. Katherine! Katherine, is she ok? Did she make it? Did she get out?" Emily gave him a solemn look and shook her head. A few tears slipped out of Stefan's eyes. "You should talk to your brother. Here- wear this. You'll be sensitive to the sun for a while until you decide what you're going to do." She held out a large, odd-looking ring. Stefan took it and slipped it on. "It's a daylight ring, it's designed and spelled to protect vampires from the sun. Damon is sat by the lake, he has one too." Stefan nodded and headed out of the door towards the nearby lake.   
When he arrived, Damon looked up at him and told him about the church, about Katherine. Stefan wasn't surprised that Damon was crying. He all but collapsed next to his brother. "She's gone?" He asked weakly, fresh tears cascading down his cheeks. "Yeah. Yeah she's gone, brother." Damon gasped. Then, Stefan was pulled into a hug by his brother. He sobbed into Damon's chest, the pain of losing Katherine and turning all in one day wringing his heart. He could feel Damon sobbing against his back as well, feel him shaking, which only made Stefan cry more- Damon never cried. Then again, they had both just lost the girl they loved. Lost her to such a horrible way of dying- burning to death. They were both hurting, both grieving for the same girl. "What are we gonna do?" He asked when they finally calmed and broke apart. "Are we gonna feed?" Damon hesitated before he answered. "I'm not going to, brother. Without Katherine, what do we have apart from each other? I'm done, Stefan. I'm not feeding, I don't want to become that." More tears leaked out of Stefan's eyes.   
"Then neither am I. We'll die together, brother."

The fifth time was when Stefan thought he had lost Damon for good. The Other Side was gone, taking all supernaturals including Damon and Bonnie with it. "Damon finally had everything he wanted." He muttered to Caroline. He could already feel the tears forming in his eyes. "He was happy." He said. The lump in his throat was agonising as he choked out the last sentence. "He should be here." With that, he broke down. Caroline hugged him, rubbing his back soothingly as Stefan sobbed. His whole body shook and heaved with the pain of losing his older brother. The amount of times Damon had died- yet Stefan knew this one to be permanent. With there being no Other Side, there was nowhere to bring Damon back from. He was truly gone this time. Gone along with Bonnie, who had sacrificed herself so that he and so many others could come back. Stefan felt like he was getting stabbed in the chest with hot pokers. The pain he felt at losing Damon was like he had a literal Damon-shaped hole torn into his heart. Memories flashed before his screwed up eyes. Playing football together for the first time, Damon tying his tie on so many occasions, them hugging as Damon returned from the war, Damon being there every time Stefan had a nightmare, playing tag even when Damon was 23 and Stefan was 16. Each memory that flashed past was like another knife sinking into his chest and it hurt... god it hurt. It hurt so much that Stefan was struggling to breathe, the weight on his chest unbearable. He choked and gasped as he sobbed, Caroline's comfort not really doing much. His brother was gone. Gone, and not coming back. Stefan couldn't even imagine that. The rest of his eternal life without Damon, even if it was just him showing up to ruin his life again. Damon had changed, become a different man because of Stefan and Elena. He was good now. And just when he had everything he's wanted for so long, Elena, his little brother back, actual friends who cared about him, Enzo's forgiveness... he was gone. Stefan cried until there were no more tears left in him to cry. He leant his whole weight against Caroline, suddenly unable to support himself as a wave of tiredness enveloped him. He let out a few more gasping breaths, then Caroline pulled him into a proper hug just as Stefan let the exhaustion take him. 

The only time Stefan felt like it was appropriate to cry but he didn't was the day he died. He forced the Cure into Damon's neck and threw him into the alcove. He ran back and grabbed Katherine, who had made a final run for safety, then dragged her back to just outside the alcove. Stefan got a firm hold on her, and saw the faint glow of the upcoming Hellfire shining in the walls. He was terrified, god he was so scared, but he knew what was coming. He knew what he had to do. As he accepted his fate, a strange sort of calm washed over him. He could still feel the fear, but the calm acceptance of what was about to happen was stronger. "Stefan... please." Katherine pleaded. Stefan leant close to her ear. "Burn in hell." He whispered back, then pushed the bone dagger through her heart. As the orange glow of the fire got brighter, Stefan looked over at Damon. His brother's eyes were barely open, he was clearly still fighting to stay conscious. He looked at Damon's face, a desperate plea still present in his older brother's blue eyes, and felt proud of how much Damon had changed for the better. Barely seven years ago, Damon would've literally thrown Stefan into the Hellfire if it meant he got to live. Now, just a few hours ago, he had tried to compel Stefan to let him die instead and even now, when his eyelids were dropping and he couldn't move, Damon was trying with all his might to swap places with Stefan. And in those few seconds of realisation, Stefan knew even more than he already did that he had made the right choice. Damon's eyes finally closed, but Stefan knew he could still be heard. "Goodbye, brother." He said quietly. He took one last look at Damon's face, then turned to face the rest of the tunnel. He could feel the heat of the Hellfire... the glow was now white... fire was all he could see... he closed his eyes... he thought of Damon, smiling as he reunited with Elena... he felt a brief, agonising burn... then everything went black.   
He walked out into the school hallway. He saw Elena, and told her what had happened, then left his message for Caroline. He knew he should probably say something for Damon, but he couldn't think what. So he left. He left the school, where he saw Lexi waiting by his car. He smiled. She had found peace, therefore so had he. Somehow, Stefan knew that had something to do with a certain dark haired Salvatore. He smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Wow, that got me in my FEELS writing that last one. Stefan's death hurt so much. Anyways, hope you enjoyed that. Reviews and requests welcome as always. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	13. Five Times Damon Cried, And One Time He Didn’t

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **I also did a Stefan version of this in the previous chapter, if you wanna check that out. Also, I kinda changed what happened when Damon came out of the Phoenix Stone.  
>  Characters: Damon, Stefan, Emily, Giuseppe, Lily  
> Pairings: Damon/Elena (mentioned)  
> Warnings: Major character death/slight OOC  
> Summary: Five time Damon Salvatore cried, and one time he probably should’ve but didn’t.**

The earliest memory Damon Salvatore has of crying was when he was seven years old. It was the 5th November, 1846 and Lily Salvatore had just given birth to his new little brother. She held the baby in her arms, hair sticking to her red face with sweat as she took deep breaths. Damon was stood on her right, trying to get a look at his baby brother. Giuseppe was on her left, smiling down at his son. “He’s gonna be a strong man one day.” He said, leering through the blankets at his boy. “Can I see him, mother?” Damon asked. Lily smiled at him, then at Giuseppe, who nodded. Lily turned the baby slightly so Damon could see his face. Immediately, Damon felt a lump rise in his throat. “He’s amazing.” He whispered as he looked at the baby he had silently sworn to protect for as long as he lived. Lily exchanged a look with Giuseppe, then looked back at Damon. “Do you want to name him?” Damon gasped, hands shooting to cover his mouth. “What? Me?” Lily nodded and smiled.   
“He’s your brother, Damon.” Giuseppe said. “You must protect him with your life, we think it’ll be a good start for your responsibilities if you name him.” Damon grinned at his father, then turned the smile to his little brother. Tears fell out of Damon’s eyes as he took in his face. “Stefan.” He said, without even thinking. “I want to call him Stefan.” Lily nodded and smiled at him. Giuseppe turned to the nurse. “His name is Stefan Salvatore.” The nurse nodded, then turned to Damon. “How are we spelling ‘Stefan’, young man?” Damon thought for a second as tears continued to fall down his cheeks. He didn’t know how to spell it. “Erm... S-T-E-F-A-N.” As the nurse wrote it down, Lily and Giuseppe chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen it spelled that way before.” Lily said. Giuseppe agreed with her. “Here, do you want to hold him, love?” Damon shook his head frantically and took a few steps back. “What if I hurt him?” He squeaked nervously. Lily and Giuseppe laughed. “Nonsense, boy. Come sit up in the middle of the bed. That way, if you drop him, he’s guaranteed to fall onto something soft.” Giuseppe said. After a minute of thought, Damon agreed and sat next to Lily on the large bed. Slowly and carefully, Giuseppe took Stefan from Lily’s arms and just as gently passed him to Damon.   
Damon held him like he was made of glass. He was a little heavy for his skinny arms, but Stefan was beautiful. “He’s my brother.” He whispered, a few tears dropping onto Stefan’s tiny face. Damon wiped them off with a laugh. Then, he looked up at his parents and grinned. “I’m gonna be a great big brother. We can go on adventures, explore the woods. I can teach him how to play catch and- and how to tie his shoes and we can play kick and we can...” he babbled, suddenly ecstatic about having a little brother. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he planned, he was just so excited. 

The second time Damon remembers crying properly was when he was just seventeen, barely ten years later. “Boys, my study now!” Giuseppe called. Damon leapt off of his bed and ran out of his room at the same time Stefan did. They exchanged a look, then Damon ushered Stefan in front of him. They quickly made their way down to their father’s study, where Damon dutifully knocked on the closed door. “Enter.” They heard their father call from inside. Giuseppe was sat at his desk, a half glass of whiskey in his hand. “Sit down, boys.” Damon and Stefan, who had been stood by the door with their hands behind their backs, took seats on the chairs on the other side of the desk. “Now.” Giuseppe began. Damon’s stomach gave a jolt. Whenever Giuseppe started with ‘now’, it was never good. “You both know your mother has lately been ill with Consumption, yes?” Damon and Stefan nodded. “Well... early this morning, your mother she... she passed away.” Damon instantly felt tears fill his eyes. “What does that mean, father?” 10 year old Stefan said beside him. “It means she died, Stef.” Damon choked, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. He had yet to stop looking at Giuseppe, who nodded to confirm Damon’s explanation. “No!” Stefan sobbed, immediately starting to cry. “Quiet, boy! Save your tears for your bedroom!” Giuseppe scolded. On Damon’s right, Stefan nodded and sniffed, wiping his face. Damon tried to blink away his own tears, but one fell down his left cheek.   
“You too, Damon.” Giuseppe said, almost gently. Damon nodded and quickly wiped the tear from his face. “The funeral is in two weeks. Off you go.” Damon and Stefan nodded, then got up and left. They walked up the stairs separately, Stefan just a few steps behind Damon. When they reached the upstairs corridor where Giuseppe wouldn’t hear them, Damon turned and crouched down to Stefan’s level. “Come here.” He whispered, holding out his arms. Stefan ran into them and flung his own little arms around Damon’s neck. As Stefan sobbed into his shoulder, Damon could feel hot tears making their way silently down his own face but he tried his hardest to keep quiet for Stefan.   
Once Stefan had calmed and Damon had tucked his exhausted form into bed, he made his way back to his own room. There, he locked the door and ran to his bed, collapsing onto it and sobbing hard into his pillow. His mother was gone... Stefan had lost her far too young... _Damon_ had lost her far too young... “Damon!” Damon jumped upon hearing his father’s voice. “Coming, father!” He shouted, cursing the emotion obviously present in his voice. He frantically tried to clear his face, but it was no use. Tears just wouldn’t stop falling. He hurriedly made his way down to father’s study again, taking deep breaths to steady himself. He walked into the room knowing full well it was obvious he had been crying. “Sit down.” Damon sat in the same chair he had vacated just half an hour ago. “I want you to do your mother’s eulogy.” Giuseppe said, ignoring the state of Damon’s face. “What?” Damon whispered.   
“Your mother’s eulogy. For the funeral, I want you to write it.” Fresh tears stung Damon’s eyes as he nodded. “Okay. I’ll... I’ll get right... right onto that, father.” He gasped out, trying not to cry again. It didn’t work, tears starting falling from the ducts. Giuseppe hummed in response. There was a few second’s pause where Damon sniffed as he tried and failed to stop the flow of tears coming from his eyes, the Giuseppe spoke again. “I don’t want you crying in front of Stefan. Set the example for your little brother.” Damon nodded just as a few more thick tears wriggled free from their sockets. “I’m sorry father.” Damon said as he wiped them away. Giuseppe nodded and sent him out. When Damon returned to his room, he sobbed and sobbed until he fell asleep. 

The next time that Damon cried was just six years later, in 1864. “Damon, they took all the vampires to the church.” Emily said. “I kept an eye out, I was a witness to what happened to you and your brother. Katherine was with them, she was put in the church with the rest of them.” Damon felt his chest tightening. “They set it on fire, Damon, they burned them all alive.” Damon gasped, backing up slightly in shock. “No. No no no no! She’s not dead, she’s not. Tell me she’s not dead, Emily!” He asked pleadingly, tears starting to fall from his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Damon, there’s no way she could’ve made it out of that, none of them could’ve.” Damon took deep, gasping breaths. “How... no. Stefan and I, we... we got her out, we untied her! Wait but...” Damon suddenly remembered, looking down at the wound in his chest. The pain, Stefan leaning over him as blackness took him, the wound that suddenly wasn’t there. He still had the same, bloody shirt on, there was just nothing there. He looked back up at Emily. “How?” He asked, fresh tears forming in his eyes. “When you and Stefan were shot, you both had vampire blood in your system. My guess is Katherine.” Damon shook his head as more tears fell down his cheeks. “No. No way, I can’t do that. I can’t become one of them, they kill people! They drink... and they... no, no I can’t do that Emily!” Panic was overwhelming him. He and Stefan couldn’t be vampires. Katherine was dead, he and Stefan were in transition... no... no, this wasn’t happening. “Is this real? Am I dead?” He coughed out, trying to ease his chest slightly. “It’s real, Damon. Yes you are technically dead, but it’s your choice if you feed or not. If you don’t, you’ll be dead by tomorrow night. If you do, then you’ll be immortal and a vampire.” Damon’s head shot up from where he was looking at his chest again, praying that the wound showed up and this was all a dream. “I need to see Stefan, where is he?” He sobbed. Emily directed him into the bedroom across the hall from the one they were currently in. Damon entered and gasped, running over to his brother. There was blood all over his shirt coming from a wound that Damon could literally see was healing. He looked at Stefan’s pale, dead face and sobbed. “No... no, Stefan. I am so sorry.” He gasped, resting his head on Stefan’s unmoving chest. Emily laid a hand on his shoulder. “He’ll come back. It’s his choice whether or not he stays that way, but he’ll wake up soon enough and you two can talk.” Damon nodded, sobbing as he wiped tears from his face. Damon pressed his forehead against Stefan’s and he heard Emily leave. “I’m not feeding, little brother. We can’t do that, we can’t become one of them. We’d kill so many people, Stefan, and I can’t do that. I’m so sorry, but I can’t.” He stayed by Stefan’s side, crying and apologising, promising to explain everything when Stefan woke, for another half an hour. Then, he got up left the room, instead going out to sit by the lake where he cried some more in private. 

The fourth time Damon Salvatore truly cried was when he was trapped in the Phoenix Stone. As he looked down at his mother, trapped underneath the broken wagon with a spike of it in her side, he tried so hard to hate her. He did, at first. This wasn’t real. He felt the anger, the burning desire to watch her die. But now, as he gave in and failed to lift the wagon off of her and instead sat there watching her fade away, he knew he had to make this right. “My sweet boy.” Lily said weakly, stroking the side of his face gently. Damon felt a painful lump grow in his throat, but he tried to swallow it back down as Lily spoke again. “Tell me... tell me what you wanted to say.” Damon took her hand, needing the physical connection. “Mom...” he began, then the dam burst. He unintentionally broke down, sobs shaking his whole body. “I’m so sorry.” He gasped through the cries. “Give me a chance... to make it _right_.” He said. “Give me a chance... to _let you love me_. Ok?” But Lily was staring blankly at him. He looked down slightly... her chest wasn’t moving. “No.” He said, realising she was dead. “No! No...” with that, he sobbed again, leaning forward to lay his forehead in his mother’s chest. “NO! No...” he sobbed and heaved, gasping and choking as he cried for his mother. He felt a strange sort of pull, but he resisted against it, needing to be with his mother. “No... mom. NO!” The sobs were wracking his body as the pull got stronger. “No... please. Leave me alone, no...” There was a flash of light, then Damon opened his eyes. “No.” He whispered. “We weren’t done.” The emotion was still in his voice, but he knew he’d been pulled out. He quickly sat up, he had to get back into that Stone. “I gotta get her back, I gotta get her back.” He said, standing up fr the table he was lying on. Instinct made him fight the tears as he saw Stefan approach him. “Hey, hey, hey.” Stefan said soothingly. “Damon, Damon... Damon, it’s ok...it’s ok.” Damon shook his head, fear taking over him. He had to get back to Lily. “Damon, it’s ok, you’re safe.” Stefan whispered to him. Damon choked slightly as he spoke. “No. One more time... one more time. Send me back, I know what to do now.” Stefan pulled him around to face him. “Damon, you’re out. You’re done. This isn’t real, there is no more time.” Damon suddenly realised: none of this is real. He tried to attack Stefan, but Stefan resisted, successfully restraining him. That’s strange, Stefan couldn’t fight him before. “No, Damon! Damon, we got you out, it’s over!” Damon gasped and looked up from where Stefan was holding his wrists. “It’s over?” He said, his voice several octaves higher than usual. “It’s over.” Stefan repeated quietly. Damon couldn’t say anything, he just gaped at his little brother, fear evident on his face. Then, Stefan carefully pulled him into a hug. Damon hesitated for a second, then hugged him back. “It’s over.” Stefan whispered repeatedly, rubbing soothingly on Damon back. Damon knew Caroline, Bonnie and Matt were watching, but he didn’t care. A sob slipped past his lips, then another, and another. Soon enough, Damon was crying as Stefan soothed him. “It’s over. You don’t have to go through that again, Damon. I promise, you’re done.” Damon nodded and screwed his eyes tight shut, burying his face in the dip between Stefan’s neck and shoulder as his whole body heaved with the sobs. 

The last time Damon remembers crying was probably the worst of his life. He was going to be dead in less than half an hour, he knew that. Vicki was going to ring that bell for the twelfth time, then Hellfire would rip through the tunnel he was currently stood in, taking both Damon and Katherine with it. That was until Stefan came running in trying to play hero as usual. He was trying to talk Damon out of doing it, instead letting Stefan take his place. “Let me do this... for you.” Stefan said, his voice barely above a whisper.   
“No.” Damon replied, licking his lips. There was no way he was gonna let Stefan die for him. “Then let me do this for me... please.” Stefan said desperately. Damon grabbed Stefan’s shoulders tightly. Tears were starting to fill his eyes, as he could also see they were filling Stefan’s. It was strange, the last time the brothers had shared a tearful exchange was when Damon had told Stefan about Katherine. “I love you, little brother.” Damon whispered, ignoring the tear that fell from his left eye. Stefan smiled at him. “I love you too.” Then, Damon tightened his hold on Stefan’s shoulders. “And you’re right... _you are human_.” He said forcefully. He hated what he was about to do, he’d sworn to himself never do it to Stefan, but he had to otherwise Stefan would never leave. “Which means I can do this.” His pupils dilated. “Go.” Stefan tried to push him and look away, panic showing in his face. “Damon, no. Don’t.” He begged, but Damon held firm as his pupils dilated again. “You’re gonna walk out of these tunnels, and you’re not gonna stop until my death breaks the compulsion.” He could see it working, Stefan had stopped fighting. “Because...” He grabbed the back of Stefan neck, needing to make sure the compulsion held. “... I am the big brother.” He couldn’t keep the emotion out of his voice as he spoke the last words to his brother. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t... better at it until now.” He said, pain tugging at his heart. “I said go. Go!” He tried and failed to shout, pushing Stefan away from him. The younger Salvatore looked at him for a few more seconds, then slowly turned and left without a word. Damon fell to his knees as soon as Stefan left, sobs escaping him. That was the last time he’d ever see his little brother. He choked and gasped, gripping his shirt tightly. Stefan was gone... Damon would never see him again. It hurt more than Damon cared to explain, how those were the last things he’d ever say to Stefan, this being the last sacrifice Damon would ever make for him. He cried and cried, tears flowing freely down his cheeks and forming a small puddle on the dusty floor. He punched the floor and howled in both the physical and emotional agony of the situation. This wasn’t fair, nobody should have to die. The only reason any of them were dying in the first place was because someone had to send Katherine back in order to destroy hell. But Damon knew he’d made the right choice, not that there was a much of a choice in the first place. Someone had to do it- that someone had to be Damon. He’d caused Stefan so much pain, so much trouble the past almost 2 centuries. It was only right he be the one who dies. He had to make up for his mistakes. His sobs came to an abrupt halt as he heard Katherine stirring next to him. He hastily wiped his face and walked over to her with a sneer. “Finally awake. It’s about time.” Katherine looked up at him, concern and amusement written all over her face.  
“Were you crying?” 

The only time Damon thought it right that he cried but didn’t was the day of Stefan’s funeral. He looked down at the small box in his hands and lowered it into its place in the stone crypt. He’d been and gathered what remained of his little brother a few days ago- merely a pile of ashes and a few bones. Bonnie had magically separated Stefan’s ashes from Katherine’s, then Damon had bought an oak box from the nearest woodwork store and placed them in there. Now, he laid the stone lid on top of the makeshift grave and stood back to look at Stefan’s headstone. 

_Stefan Salvatore  
Brother, Husband, Friend  
Born 1846  
Now at peace_

Damon started at the word ‘ _Brother_ ’ and felt a dull ache in his stomach. Brother... Stefan was Damon’s brother, and he died. Stefan... was Damon’s _brother_. His _little brother_. Damon knew he’d failed, he should’ve protected Stefan better. Yet, he’d done everything he could. He’d even compelled Stefan to leave him until the compulsion was broken by death. He didn’t understand why it had broken early, or why it had even worked in the first place considering Stefan was on vervain. As a human, Damon was struggling to hold back his tears, but he did it anyway. He did it for Elena, who was sobbing in his arms. He did it for Caroline, who was crying into Alaric’s shoulder. He didn’t cry. At all. For the whole service. He didn’t even cry later on, when Stefan’s close friends came to say a final goodbye. He didn’t cry when he finally closed the gates to the crypt. The urge had gone away before he’d even walked in. He didn’t cry... because he was proud. Proud of the life Stefan had, proud of the fact that he’d been through so much yet still found a way to smile and be happy. Proud that Damon had dragged him through hell, literally, yet Stefan still came out twice as strong as before. Damon was proud of his little brother and everything he had done. And as they walked away, Damon vowed to himself never to cry over his little brother, but to use the sacrifice he made for good. To harness it and build a good, cheerful life with Elena. Live it to the fullest and not waste a single second. He would laugh, he would get drunk, he would celebrate and he would make sure that Stefan’s sacrifice never went to waste.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Man, I loved writing that. Ironically, half way through writing the one where Damon compels Stefan, ‘Hold On’ came onto my shuffled playlist and in writing that last one, ‘Brother’ by Kodaline came on. Felt way too much pain. Anyways, reviews and requests welcome as always. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	14. Nightmare Pt.1- Damon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **So I'm planning on writing three parts to this. One with Damon, one with Stefan and one with Enzo.  
>  Characters: Damon and Stefan  
> Pairings: None  
> Warnings: may be slight OOC, I'll let you decide/ descriptions of torture  
> Summary: Damon has a nightmare, but only Stefan is there to comfort him.**

_Damon's throat felt like it was being sanded as the knife pierced his chest once again. His screams had failed him for some time now, having shouted himself hoarse, but it didn't stop him trying. Tears streamed down the side of his face as he felt the scalpel sear his lung. He writhed as best he could with his wrists, chest, head and ankles shackled to the bed, trying his best to break the metal bonds. He was weak, so weak... the pain was unbearable... the 'scientists' pulled out a large chunk of his lung and he screamed again as he felt it starting to heal. The 'scientists' laughed and pointed at the regrowing lung, disgustingly amused by his pain and terror. The pain was so intense, Damon felt like he was going to pass out. Every breath burned in his cut-up lungs. Faintly below him, he could hear Enzo shouting for them to stop, that Damon had had enough... blackness was starting to creep into the edges of his vision..._

Stefan woke to the sound of someone tossing and turning. He focused, and suddenly he felt a tidal wave of fear and anxiety overcome him. He leapt out of bed and vamp-sped up to Damon's room. When he arrived, Damon was tangled in his blankets, trashing in his sleep. Stefan hurried over to him and tried to get the blankets off of his brother. "Damon! Damon, wake up!" 

_As Damon felt his lung finally heal, he dared to take a deep breath. Feeling no pain, Damon relaxed slightly. The 'scientists' gave him a cup of water to drink. "We want to hear this one." He closed his eyes, but regretted it instantly. He felt the knife that had previously pierced his lung cut into his stomach. Damon, with a freshly wetted and healed throat, howled in agony. Fresh tears slipped out of his eyes as they cut a long slit into the organ. "Damon!" He could vaguely hear Enzo shouting. "Damon, wake up! Stay awake, Damon!" Damon ignored him. He so wished to pass out, to not feel the burn and sting of the knife in his stomach, to not feel them slicing a piece of it and taking it out. Damon screamed again, screwing up his face in agony. Then, the 'scientists' found a new way to shut him up: Damon felt the knife slit his throat. Blood instantly filled his airways and he choked. He felt them cutting and tugging at something... his vocal chords. "Let's see how you do without these." The man grinned at him. Damon tried to yell as his vocal chords were successfully removed, but all he did was choke on the blood, no sound being made by its non existent chords. The blackness from the pain was starting to overwhelm him, draw him in. Damon really wanted to sleep, for it to stop... his eyelids started to droop..._

"Damon, wake up! Stefan shouted, grabbing and shaking Damon's shoulder as he struggled with the quilts. Damon was writhing as though he was in pain, shaking as though he was terrified. "Damon!" Stefan yelled as he finally took the covers off of his brother, exposing his bare upper body. Stefan grabbed his shoulder and shook him violently, but Damon still didn't wake. 

_Enzo's voice was getting louder, screaming for him to wake up. It was as though he knew he was falling asleep. "Damon! Damon, wake up!" Damon must be delirious, because that sounded like Stefan. Silent sobs wracked his body as the 'scientists' continued to dig through his organs, watching them heal then repeating the proces. "Damon, come on!"  
Enzo-Stefan shouted again. Damon had his eye pried open by one of his captors. "Morning, sunshine. Time to see red." With that, the knife was dug into his eyeball. "DAMON, WAKE UP!"_

Damon was thrashing. Twice Stefan had had to stop him falling off of his abnormally large bed. Then, Damon started whimpering. "Damon." Stefan said lowly. "Damon, wake up. Wake up. DAMON, WAKE UP!" Damon gasped as he shot bolt upright. Stefan moved backwards, giving his brother some space as Damon frantically took in his surroundings and moved as far back against the headboard as he could. "No! Where am... where am I... no." Stefan had never seen Damon so... scared. His blue eyes were wide with fear as he eventually began to recognise his bedroom. Stefan took a seat into the chair beside Damon's bed, causing the older man to avert his gaze to him. "Stefan?" Damon choked out.  
"Yeah. You ok?" Stefan asked. 

Damon's face immediately turned into one of sarcasm and anger, hiding the past terror. "Fine. Why are you in my room? Actually, don't answer that. Get out." He ordered, but Stefan could see he was fighting it. The fear, the urge to breathe heavily. "What happened, Damon?" Stefan asked gently, making sure to let the concern into his voice. "What happened was I kicked you out of my bedroom. Now go." Stefan shook his head and sighed.  
"Not until you tell me what wrong."  
"Stefan, it has nothing to do with you, ok? I had a bad dream, there. Now you happy? It's just a meaningless nightmare, I don't need your lovey-dovey tearful mush. Get out." Damon lashed at Stefan. But Stefan knew Damon couldn't deal with this alone. His hair was sticking to his face with sweat, his skin a few shades paler than usual and behind his mask, Stefan could still see traces of fear seeping through, could hear his heart pounding violently in his chest. "Damon, what happened? I've never seen anything like that before, especially not from you." He said quietly, keeping his voice soft to avoid startling Damon further. His brother would never admit it, but he was fragile right now. "Are you deaf? I said nothing, now get out. I don't want or need you here!" Then, Stefan grabbed Damon's arm at the elbow and closed his eyes. 

**Mystic Falls, 1862**

_A fifteen year old Stefan thrashed in his bed, crying out from a nightmare that was terrorising his mind. "No! Damon, come back! Please!" He writhed and whimpered in his sleep as he was tortured from the inside. About a minute later, a dark haired man burst into the room. "Stefan!" Damon whisper-shouted as he rushed over to his little brother's bed, hurriedly taking the blankets off of him and shaking his shoulder slightly in an attempt to wake him. "Stefan, wake up! I'm right here, Stefan, you just need to open your eyes!" Stefan awoke with a deep inhale, immediately turning towards Damon's worried face. "Damon?" He looked so scared. Damon slowly sat down on the side of the bed.  
"Yeah. Yeah I'm right here, Stef." Stefan's face crumpled and he flung his arms around Damon's neck, sobbing into his shoulder. "What happened, Stefan?" Damon murmured as he rubbed Stefan's back soothingly. "You... you_ died _, Damon. You were shot... there was nothing I could do... Damon you died." Ah, the Confederacy. Damon was leaving to join the army on his father's orders in three days time and Stefan had been worried for him since the day they found out that Giuseppe had signed him up. "I'm not gonna die, Stefan, ok? I have you to come back to. I promised, remember? I promised that I'll come back and then both of us will keep going on adventures. We're brothers, remember. We stick together. I'll always be here for you, Stefan. Don't you ever forget that." Stefan nodded and sniffed into Damon's shirt, inhaling his comforting scent. "And I'll be here for you." Damon nodded and hummed, gently pulling away from his brother. They locked eyes, teary brown ones to soft blue ones, and Damon smiled. Not that smirk that Stefan sometimes laughed at, but truly smiled. "Yeah, you are. You're always gonna be there for me, just as I am always gonna be here for you. We need each other, and I'm not about to break my promise first. I love you, little brother. I always will." Stefan's eyelids started to become heavy as he nodded his sleepy reply to Damon. Damon laid him back down and tucked him into bed. "There. Now, you get some sleep. I promise I will be right here in the morning."_

Stefan inhaled sharply as he pulled his arm away from Damon. Damon moved away from him, eyes narrowing in anger that Stefan could tell was just a mask. "What the hell was that about? Why did you show me that?" Stefan kept his face comfortingly soft- Damon still looked so frightened. "To remind you. I'll always be here for you, Damon. Just like you're always there for me." Damon sat and stared at his brother for a long minute, his mask flickering every so often. "It was Augustine." Stefan gave him a confused look. "As in, the Augustine Vampire? Why were you dreaming about him?" Stefan had only ever heard of the Augustine Vampire. Only ever heard of the torture that he supposedly endured, the massacre that had taken place when he escaped. Stefan had been in Europe, relishing in the pleasure of Damon being MIA for five years. Damon who now looked him straight into the eyes. "I am him." Stefan's stomach lurched. "What do you mean you _are_ him?" Damon's walls were instantly back up, irritation entering his voice once more. "I mean, Stefan, that _I_ am the Augustine Vampire. _I_ endured five years of endless torture, of having my organs sliced up, my eyeballs gauged out, my vocal chords ripped from my throat. _I_ had to listen to the screams of my only friend in those five years as he endured the same torture. I was the one who massacred all of those people when I flipped my switch in order to abandon my friend and save my own life. I was the one who had to sit in a freezing cell when I wasn't being tortured to vampiric endurance. I got one cup of blood a week, that's all I got to stop me desiccating. Even then, sometimes that blood had a trace of Vervain in it. That was me, Stefan so _forgive me_ if sometimes it comes back to me!" Stefan was stunned into silence. All this time... all this time, Stefan had just thought that Damon was finally leaving him alone, had even celebrated the fact that his brother was finally gone when, all that time, Damon was being tortured past his limit, being subjected to horrific experiments. "Damon, I had no idea."  
"No you never do, do you? You know, all that time I was in that cell, I was convinced you would come for me. That you would figure out that I was missing and come looking for me. Whenever I had any doubts, Enzo would reassure me and tell me that my brother sounded like the type of person who would know where I am and come find me. But you never did. I never lost hope, never gave up on you, but you never came." Stefan looked from the floor into his brothers eyes and was surprised to see tears glistening in them. Stefan slowly stood and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, on Damon's left where the older vampire had moved back against the headboard after his rant. "I am... so sorry, Damon. I thought you were just off on one of your benders again. I was in Europe, I wasn't even in the States. I only came back because I heard about the massacre and Lexi called me to tell me your switch was off again. I am so sorry you went through that, Damon. If I'd known, I would've come for you." 

Damon didn't say anything, he just sat and swallowed a few times. Stefan could still hear his brother's heart racing. "Is that what happened in the dream? You were tortured?" Stefan asked softly and hesitantly- he didn't want to push Damon too much. Damon's eyes averted to the blankets and he nodded stiffly. Damon's walls had a crack in them- Stefan could see the fear and pain present in Damon's eyes. He sighed and moved to grab Damon's shoulder comfortingly, but Damon flinched, eyes widening with increased fear. "Sorry, it's just me though. I'm not gonna hurt you." Damon glared at him.  
"I know you're not, can you just get out now? You know what happened, now leave." Stefan listened to Damon's thundering heart again and shook his head. "No, not until I know you're alright." Damon sighed in frustration.  
"I don't need you coddling me, Stefan. I'm F-I-N-E." Stefan's face softened some more.  
"You can go back to hating me as much as you want afterwards and we'll never think of this again but I need to know you're truly alright, Damon." His words seemed to stun Damon, but Damon still didn't let his protective house of cards collapse. "Don't see why, you never cared in the '50s, what's so different now?" Damon sneered. Stefan huffed out a long sigh. "Now, you're my brother. Back then, I hated you and you were determined to fulfil your promise of giving me an eternity of misery. Now, we almost have each other back." They made eye contact, and Stefan saw Damon's walls finally come down. 

His brother went back to eye-screwing the blankets. "I hated it there, Stefan. Every second of it. And knowing Enzo spent the last ten years of his life there, I... that place hurt so much." Stefan nodded as Damon finally let him lay a hand on his left shoulder. "In the dream... it was happening again. They were cut... cutting into my l-lungs, m-my stomach and my eyes. The pain was intolerable, Stefan. It was like I was back there all over again." Tears shon in Damon's eyes and Stefan nodded, letting Damon say everything he needed to say. "It was like my whole body was on fire and it just wouldn't stop. They tore out my vocal chords so I couldn't scream, I could hear Enzo shouting below me for them to stop but they didn't. They never did." Damon finished and his voice finally broke, a tear gradually making its way down his left cheek. Damon crossed his legs and rested his elbows on them, leaning forward and sighing, running his hands through his hair and back over his face, keeping it buried in his palms. Stefan removed his hand from Damon's shoulder and placed it carefully on his back. This movement alone seemed to break Damon. His back tensed then relaxed as Damon let out a silent sob. Stefan rubbed his hand up and down Damon's back soothingly, just as Damon did for him in 1862, and so many times before that. Damon rarely made a sound, only letting out one or two whimpers, but Stefan could feel the tremors in his body, the clenching of his muscles and the quivering in his shoulders. When Damon let out his first vocal sob, Stefan moved forwards slightly and pulled Damon up into a proper hug. Damon finally accepted the comfort, wrapping his arms tightly around his brother, so tightly Stefan thought his ribs were going to break. He whispered consoling words into Damon's ear, trying to ease his suffering and reassure him that everything was going to be ok. 

Damon gradually calmed down with Stefan's help. Stefan had kept a close ear on Damon's heart, listening as it steadied. As Damon's quiet, muffled cries ultimately silenced, Stefan cautiously tried to release him. Damon uncharacteristically held him tighter, clearly not ready to let go just yet. "Ok, it's ok. I'm not going anywhere." Stefan said tenderly. Call it sadistic, but Stefan liked this side of Damon. The side that was human, that showed emotion and let him be held and comforted. That reminded Damon that he was never alone, that he always had someone who would be there for him. They'd promised. 

After a few more minutes, Damon's arms loosened and the brothers carefully moved out of the hug. Damon sniffed and wiped his eyes on his arm. "You ok?" Stefan asked sympathetically, not taking his hand off of Damon's shoulder. He knew it took a lot for Damon to ever show such emotion, knew it would take a lot more to allow himself to be soothed. Despite this, Damon nodded. Stefan moved his hand up to the hair on the back of Damon’s head, stroking it lovingly. "We promised, remember? I'll always be here for you." Damon nodded again and leaned slightly into Stefan's hand. They stayed like that for a while until tears started to drip down Damon's cheeks again, then Stefan grabbed Damon on either side of his head and locked eyes with him. "I'm always going to be here for you. You hear me? No matter what. I don't care if you hate me, or if I'm angry at you or anything like that. I'll always be here for you, do you understand that?" He said forcefully but reassuringly, making sure the message got through to Damon. His brother nodded, tears still leaking out of his eyes. Stefan hugged Damon again, pressing the side of his older brother's face against his chest and stroking the black locks again. Damon took a fistful of Stefan's shirt and gripped it tightly, screwing his face up and burying it into Stefan's chest. His body began to shake again, but this time Stefan knew it wasn't just because of the dream. Damon never really had anyone permanent over the years. True, he'd had a few friends but they either died or betrayed each other in some way. Stefan knew Damon never really wanted to lose Stefan, knew because Stefan never wanted to lose Damon either. As much as they had hated each other, as much as Stefan had wanted Damon out of his life, he never really wanted him gone. He would much rather have his brother back. The brother that Damon had been in the 1800s. The brother that Damon now was once again.

_"Damon, what happened?" Fifteen year old Stefan asked as a twenty-two year old Damon burst into his room, looking hysterically around the place. "Hey!" Stefan's shout brought Damon out of his reverie. Stefan laid his hands on Damon's shoulders as his brother looked at him with tearful eyes. "What happened?" Stefan demanded. Damon gulped, a thick tear falling from his left eye. "Father, he... he signed me up... I can't go there, Stefan, I can't!" Stefan pulled him into a hug, stroking the back of his head as Damon buried his face in Stefan's shoulder. "What did he do, Damon? What did he sign you up for?" Damon sobbed, shaking in Stefan's arms. "The Confederacy, Stefan! Father signed me up for the Confederacy!" Stefan's heart dropped, but he ignored his own feelings to support Damon. "It's ok, you're gonna be ok. You're strong, Damon. You are, you're so strong." But Stefan felt like Damon couldn't hear him over his muffled sobs. "Hey." Stefan said, pulling away from Damon to hold the sides of his head, forcing his older brother to look at him. There were tear streaks marking Damon's horror-stricken face, but Stefan paid them no heed. "You are strong, Damon. You're one of the strongest people I know. You can get through this and you will. I know you don't want to go, anyone can see that, but you have to. You can fight them, Damon. You can survive it. And you'll come back, and we can go exploring as soon as you arrive home. You have things here to fight for, Damon. Things here that you just can't leave behind." Stefan said as further tears fell out of Damon's eyes. "It's ok to be scared, Damon. That's what makes you human." Damon's face crumbled at Stefan words, so Stefan pulled him in again to sob on his shoulder._

Damon pulling away was what brought Stefan back from memory lane. His brother looked exhausted, so Stefan helped him lie back down, pulling the covers up to shield Damon's upper half. "There we go. You get some more sleep, ok?" Damon nodded tiredly and hugged the blanket close to his chin. As Stefan turned to leave the room, he felt something grab his arm. Stefan and Damon's eyes met, and the younger man instantly softened. He sat down next to Damon's bed as his arm was released again. "I'll be gone by morning, don't worry." Damon's eyes dropped closed, but not before Stefan heard a faintly whispered "thank you."

The next morning found Stefan half reading a book and half listening to music on the couch. About halfway through ' _Sweater Weather_ ‘ by The Neighbourhood, Damon walked into the room drinking from a blood bag. Stefan glanced up at him, having not heard him get up or go for breakfast. Damon picked up his favourite copy of 'Gone With The Wind' and collapsed onto the couch opposite Stefan's. "You have a terrible taste in music, Stefan." Damon sneered sarcastically. Stefan chuckled and skilled past the song, ' _Like Toy Soldiers_ ' by Eminem coming on instead. "Oh god, this is worse! That must be Jeremy messing with my phone!" Stefan exclaimed. Damon chuckled.  
"Nah, that's Ric. He loves that guy." Stefan finally found a decent song that he and Damon both liked (' _Death Of A Bachelor_ ' by Panic! At The Disco) and Damon hummed to it as they read their individual books. Stefan couldn't help but let his thoughts drift to last night. He hoped it was real, that he truly had his brother back and this wasn't just a one-off thing. He hope that those hours spent bonding had meant something and weren't just a waste. Damon hasn't cried on his shoulder since Stefan was fifteen and him twenty-two. It meant a lot to Stefan that Damon had opened up that door again, let his younger brother see the vulnerable side to him. "You gonna turn that page sometime today Stefan?" Stefan jumped slightly and realised at least four more songs had played. "Sorry. Something I read zoned me out." Damon huffed disbelievingly. "Right." The room was silent for a while until Damon spoke again. "Meant a lot, what you last night." Stefan tensed, but Damon spoke matter-of-factly, his eyes not leaving the page he was reading. "Thank you." Stefan nodded in reply. "But if you ever tell anyone literally anything about what happened, I will rip your heart out before you can finish the first sentence." Stefan chuckled lightly. Things were back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I really really really tried not to go OOC with this one, but you all know by now that I am terrible with that sort of thing. Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Reviews and requests welcome as always. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	15. The Augustine Vampire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **This is an AU setting where Elena gets captured by the Augustines while Enzo is still there. Set around 2010 ish, but Elena is a vampire.  
>  Characters: Enzo, Elena, Damon and Stefan  
> Pairings: Stefan/Elena, Damon/Katherin (both mentioned)  
> Warnings: descriptions of torture and the like  
> Summary: "Believe me, the Augustine vampire was worse than you could possibly imagine."**

"Hey, you awake?" Elena heard someone say in a hushed whisper. The voice was low, slow and had an accent Elena couldn’t register. She groaned and slowly sat up. "Excellent. Well, not for you, unfortunately." The man said in what Elena now realised was an English accent. Elena looked around the large cage she was in, suddenly wide awake. "Where am I? Hey! Where am I?" She called desperately.   
"Easy, love. Easy." The Englishman said soothingly. Elena relaxed slightly, peering through the bars connecting their cells at his face. She couldn’t help but notice that he was handsome, but his eyes looked as though he’d seen and been through too much in his obviously young age. "I'm Enzo." He introduced, smiling and holding up a hand in a wave. "Elena. Where am I?" Enzo sighed and looked around his own cell. "Augustine. Not a very nice place."   
"Augustine?" Elena gasped. "As in where the Augustine vampire was kept?" Enzo nodded. "The stories... the torture, the massacre that happened when they escaped... is it all true?" Enzo hummed slightly.   
"I've only heard a few of the stories, but they're mostly true. The torture, most definitely. Torture beyond torture. Times the stories you've heard by a thousand and you've got what it's actually like here. As for the massacre when he escaped... I can only imagine what that was like. He had no humanity, after all." Enzo explained, more to himself than anything. "Hang on, you _knew him_? You knew the Augustine vampire?" Stefan had only told her a few rumours, how the Augustine vampire had been tortured past the limit of vampiric endurance, having so-called experiments run on him, only drinking enough blood to stop him desiccating, for five years. When he eventually escaped, he tore through entire cities. It was the biggest scandal in the 1950s-60s, all caused by one vampire nobody knew the name or face of, because no one got past him. "Knew him? I was friends with him. He was my only companion while I was in here, we kept each other sane. We got closer and closer, we literally knew everything about one another. I knew his likes and dislikes, the things he loved and the things he feared, and he knew mine. We knew each other inside out, we were best friends... until he betrayed me. I got over it after a while though. After all, I've been in here since the 1940s so I’ve had plenty of time to think it over.” Elena's jaw dropped.   
"You've been here _that long_? Oh my god, how are you still alive?" She asked. Enzo chuckled.   
"Because they need me alive. If they wanted me dead, they'd kill me. I'd already been in here ten years when they brought him in. Well... dragged him in. He was already beaten bloody. Apparently, one of his family members had sold him out to the Augustines." Elena shook her head.   
"What... what was it like in here? With him?" She couldn't help her curiosity, but was still surprised when Enzo answered fully. 

"It was amazing. I finally had a companion, a friend, a brother. Yet at the same time it made things so much worse. In here they cut out bits of your lungs, your throat, your eyes, your brain. They had quite the imagination. Whatever they can cut, they do, then they stand and watch it heal. All the while you're left screaming in agony with no way of stopping it. Him and I had to listen to each other scream and cry day in, day out. One of us would be taken up in the morning, the other would have to sit and listen to him scream while they dissected him alive. Then, they'd drag him back down, sometimes still cut open, and waited for him to wake up. When that happened, they'd take up the other one of us, leaving the injured one to lay down here and listen to the screams. Sometimes though, they'd cut out our vocal chords before they did anything, so we couldn't make any noise. Those were the most terrifying moments." Elena had tears in her eyes just thinking of all the horrible things Enzo was describing. "We couldn’t hear each other scream, then, so we had no idea what the Augustines were doing or how much pain the one who was being tested was in. Night times were no better, the nightmares tortured us almost as much as the doctors did. Every night at some point we’d both wake up, screaming for invisible attackers to get away.” Tears were now streaming down Elena’s face. “How did you manage?" She couldn't help but ask.   
"We had each other. Every night, once experiments and dissections were done for the day, we were left to heal over night. As I said earlier, we bonded, got to know each other. I knew everything about him, and he knew everything about me. We took care of each other, almost loved each other. I'd always comfort him after a particularly bad day, and he'd comfort me just the same." Elena smiled softly at him, almost as though she was proud. "Why do they do these things?" Enzo laughed bitterly.   
"Because they're sick bloody bastards who take pleasure in slicing open our eyeballs, ripping out our teeth and stuffing great metal rods up our arses just to cut our intestines to shreds." Elena gasped again, feeling like she was going to puke. "Oh my god that is... horrible." She said. Enzo nodded.   
"For the time he was here, he had it worse than me. He was sarcastic, always sneering at them because that's how he hid his fear and pain. They didn't like that, so they paid close attention to him. Did about two thirds of their tests on him. His screams hurt _me_ , they were so agonised. I could clench my ears shut and try and block it out, but nothing I did could stop me from hearing his screams. They were so intense, I've never heard any man scream so loud. But I'm no different. I've learnt to shut up a little over the years I've been here, but while he was with me, I was just as bad as him. The pain you'll feel here is worse than any you could possibly imagine." Elena felt a sharp pang of fear. She didn't want to experience that, it would kill her. "How did he escape?" She questioned. Enzo huffed out a laugh. "We had a plan. Every day, each of us was given a cup of blood to stop us from desiccating. On New Years Day of 1957, we did Rock Paper Scissors. Whoever won would take the other person's rations six times a week to build up his strength. Then, on New Years of 1958, we would escape. So that's what we did. He won the game, so he got my rations six times a week. I stil needed at least one ration so I wouldn't desiccate. On New Years Day 1958, we made our escape. He attacked and killed everyone in the room, apart from the ones that fled, but a fire started. By the time he was done killing and getting rid of everyone, the fire had spread throughout the whole room. He came over to release me from the cage, but the bars were burning hot and covered in vervain. We both tried, but we couldn't get it open. He had to make a choice: save himself, or die with me. He chose to save himself." Elena gasped again, her hands flying to her mouth. "After everything you two went through together?" Enzo nodded grimly.   
"It's fine, though. He had to turn off his humanity to do it. If he'd left it on, he wouldn't have done it. That's what let me forgive him a little over a month later. I'd been hearing about his massacre killing spree, and I knew he still had it off. He had it off the entire three years he was killing." Elena's next question was asked hesitantly.   
"You keep saying... 'he.' What was his name?" Enzo looked up from the ground then, staring into her eyes. 

"Damon. His name was Damon." Elena's stomach dropped. There was no way... the coincidence was too much...  
"Damon?" She repeated. Enzo nodded.   
"Yup. Damon Salvatore of Mystic Falls, Virginia." Elena's heart lurched. "Oh my god." She choked out. Enzo looked over at her, concerned. "What?"   
"I'm from Mystic Falls." Was all Elena managed to get out. "You are?" Enzo said, suddenly sitting up straighter, his full attention on her. "Do you know him? Is he alright? Is he alive?" Elena nodded.   
"Yes. Yes, he is. I'm dating his brother." It was Enzo’s turn to gasp. "Stefan? Stefan Salvatore?" Elena looked over at him, horror ripping at her chest at the thought of Stefan also being here. "You know Stefan as well?" To her relief, Enzo shook his head. "No, no Damon only ever spoke about him. He was always convinced his brother would find him, that he would come and save him. He also talked about this girl Katherine... said he dated her in 1864, then she was locked in a tomb and he was trying to get her back." Elena gulped.   
"Yeah, that didn't work out so well. Turns out she's been in the real world all along, she just never cared about him." Enzo hissed in empathy.   
"Damn, that's gotta hurt. He was totally head over heels for that girl." Elena chuckled. 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

"Stefan, we have got to get her out of there!" Damon shouted frantically as he paced in front of the living room fire. "I know, we'll get her..." but Damon interrupted him. "No you don't know! You don't know what it's like to be there, Stefan, that place is disgusting!" Stefan sat forward slightly on the couch. "Of course it's disgusting, it's Augustine. Everyone knows about the Augustine vampire. We'll get her out of there, Damon, I promise." Damon heaved in a breath and turned to face his brother. Stefan was surprised to see his brother looking several shades paler than usual, fear evident on his face. "No, Stefan. We have to get her out of there. Now. As in, right now." Stefan shook his head.   
"We can't, Damon. Not yet, it's not safe. Why are you so pressed about this anyway? We're getting her out, that's the most important part." Damon waved him off. "It doesn't matter." He said lowly.   
"Of course it does! Damon, I've never seen you like this. You're pale, clearly terrified, not to mention more than eager to get to that horrid place just to get her out! This matters, Damon, so just tell me wha-!"   
"I'M THE AUGUSTINE VAMPIRE! Ok, Stefan? I'm the Augustine vampire. That was me."

**Augustine Cells**

"I can't believe... after everything I've heard about him... the Augustine vampire was _Damon_. Do you think Stefan knows?" Elena asked Enzo. The older man shook his head. "No. If Stefan didn't rescue Damon, then Damon wasn't going to tell him. At least, that's what he said was going to happen." Elena nodded, hugging her knees closer to her chest. "If you look up at the wall behind you, you'll see something you might find interesting." Elena did as Enzo said, moving back slightly to read the letters and numbers carved into the stone. 

_D.S  
21051  
‘58_

"Damon Salvatore, subject number 21052, 1958. The year he escaped." Enzo explained. Elena nodded. "I did it too. 'ESJ, 12144, then I crossed out 1958 a week after Damon escaped. I think... it's time for a new addition. What year is it?" He asked. Elena moved back over to the bars to look at him. “2010.” She replied. Enzo stood and moved out of Elena’s like of sight. A few seconds later, Elena heard him scratching into the wall. "What are you writing?" She asked him.   
"The year I'm escaping. 2010." He said as he sat back down. Elena shot him a questioning look. "Believe me, Damon put his trust one hundred percent into Stefan. If you're dating Stefan Salvatore, then you're gonna have both brothers coming after you. If Stefan's as reliable as Damon said he was and if Damon's still as stupid as he used to be, we'll be out by the end of the week." Elena chuckled, she couldn't doubt that. Damon and Stefan would find her, especially seeing as Damon technically already knew where she was. 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

“What do you mean, you’re the Augustine Vampire?” Stefan choked, his heart hammering in his chest.   
“Self explanatory really, brother. While you were off celebrating the fact I was out of your life in the ‘50s, I was getting tortured beyond the limits of any endurance. Now, how soon can we get Elena out of that hell hole?” Stefan just gawked at him. His older brother was the Augustine Vampire, and he’d had no idea. “Tomorrow. We get her out tomorrow.”

**Augustine, the next day**

“Did he get you? Are you ok?” Stefan asked as he pulled open Elena’s cell door. “No, no he didn’t, I’m fine. Stefan, the next cell. In the next cell, there’s a man. Damon knows him.” Stefan nodded.   
“Alright, I’ll get him. Damon’s upstairs, go to him. I won’t be long, I promise.” Elena touched his shoulder lightly then ran up the stairs to Damon. When she entered the room, the two helpers who had dragged her down here were lying on the floor, obviously dead. The doctor who Elena guessed was a descendant of Augustine was shackled to a blood-stained gurney, unconscious. “Damon.” She said. Damon was stood over the unconscious man, scalpel in hand. His face was murderous. Damon turned to her then, and his face instantly softened. “You alright?” He asked. Elena nodded. “Yeah, He didn’t get me. What are you doing?” Damon’s face turned to anger as he looked back down at the face of the doctor. “Got a bit of history with this guy’s ancestors. He’ll be out for about an hour, then I’m just gonna have some fun with him. Where’s my brother?” Elena suddenly realised that Stefan had yet to appear, but she could faintly hear his voice. Straining her ears, he was talking to Enzo. “He’s getting the other guy.” Damon’s head shot up. “Other guy? What other guy?” Elena smiled softly.   
“Enzo. He’s getting Enzo. He’s still alive, Damon. He told me everything.” Damon dropped the scalpel and vamp sped down the stairs.

“Hello?” Stefan said through the bars to the man lying in the cell. He was either asleep or unconscious, Stefan couldn’t tell. “Hey, you awake?” The man started to stir, much to Stefan’s relief. “Don’t take the girl, take me.” Stefan shook his head and moved closer to the cell. “I’m here to get you out, not take you back.” The man was up in an instant, sitting up and looking gleefully at Stefan. “Am I to assume you’re Stefan Salvatore?” Stefan nodded and smiled at his excited expression. “That you are. I’m guessing you know my brother, then?” He asked grimly, his smile fading slightly. “That I do. And my guess is that he’s upstairs planning his torture on our little doctor friend?” Stefan nodded, smile reappearing on his features. “Yep, I’ve sent Elena to him. Can you stand?” Enzo groaned as he did just that.   
“Been here since the ‘40s, I’m a little low on blood but I can manage.” Stefan chuckled and pulled the door open. As Enzo made to walk out, Damon vamp sped next to Stefan, his eyes locked on the man in the cage. “Enzo?” He gasped, his face paling as soon as he laid eyes on the man. The man nodded and smiled slightly. “It’s good to see you, Damon.” He said as he exited the cell. “I thought... how did you... you’re alive.” Damon’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Yep, unfortunately. Was kinda stuck in here the rest of my life. They didn’t have any more of those demonstrations after our little stunt, so I couldn’t exactly try again.” Stefan watched as Damon looked the man, Enzo, up and down. Then, Enzo opened his arms wide. “I forgave you a long time ago, Damon. Come here.” Damon pulled Enzo into the tightest hug Stefan had ever seen him give. “It’s been too long, Enzo. I’m so sorry.” He heard Damon whisper. With that, Stefan chose to make his leave. 

“Enzo told you everything then?” Stefan asked Elena as they drove back to the Boarding House. Damon and Enzo had stayed behind to take their revenge on the doctor. “Yeah, in horribly brutal detail. It really was disgusting, what those doctors did.” Stefan hummed in response. “I know, I’ve heard the stories. Good news is, we got him out, he’s forgiven Damon and we got you out before the doc could lay a finger on you.” Elena chuckled and laid her head back on the head rest. “Yeah, I was starting to get worried in there. Is Enzo gonna be staying with us? I liked him, he seemed nice.” Stefan nodded and laughed to himself. “I think Damon might just give up his own bedroom if it means Enzo can stay. By the sounds of it, Enzo was Damon’s first real friend in a long time. They won’t be letting each other go any time soon.” They laughed then, Elena putting on the radio and trying to shake the disturbing images of Augustine from her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I kinda lost my way there, but I didn’t just want the whole thing to be a conversation. Reviews and requests welcome as always. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	16. Katherine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Okokok I'm really sorry for this being OOC, I couldn't help myself. It's not too OOC though, don't worry. Anyways, it's set after Damon is told that Katherine is alive in S1, so yeah.  
>  Characters: Damon, Stefan and Katherine (mentioned)  
> Pairings: Damon/Katherine (mentioned)  
> Warnings: a little OOC  
> Summary: "She never cared, Stefan."**

When Stefan walked into the room, Damon was sat by the fire, a glass of bourbon in his hands. Stefan stood in the entrance for a few seconds, then sighed and moved to sit in the armchair next to his brother. He didn't say anything, he just watched as Damon stared into the fire and drank his glass of bourbon. They sat like that until Damon finally finished his drink with a short 'aah'. Then, he stood and walked across the room towards his stash. Stefan observed him carefully, not wanting Damon to drink so much he gets drunk, but the older man only placed his glass on the table then made his way back over to his chair in front of the fire. Once Damon was seated, he resumed glaring into the flames, not sparing Stefan even a glance. 

Stefan couldn't even imagine what was going through his brother's mind right now. He'd just been told that girl he'd been pining over for 145 years has been alive this whole time, she just didn't care enough to let him know. Stefan couldn't help it, he felt kind of bad for Damon. Everything Damon had been doing since they turned was in an effort to get Katherine back, and now he's just found out that all of his work was wasted on a girl who didn't want him. A girl who knew what he was doing, she just didn't think it was important. This was all despite the fact that she had told both brothers that she loved them, and that she wanted both of them in her life. When Stefan had been told what had happened, he'd felt sick. How could Katherine do such a thing to Damon? True, he's an ass and a jerk and a downright cruel person, but he doesn't deserve this. Everything he'd done, he'd done for her. For Katherine. And she just threw that right back in his face. Stefan had long since accepted that Damon truly loved Katherine and he knew it was only a matter of time before Katherine broke his heart again, but he never expected it to be so soon or in such a harsh way. 

"She never cared, Stefan." Damon said quietly, breaking the silence and bringing Stefan out of his reverie. Stefan nodded, but didn't say anything. "After all this time, everything I've done... and she's been alive ever since-..." Damon broke off, seemingly unwilling to finish that sentence. But Stefan knew what he meant. Ever since Katherine had supposedly burned in the church with the other 26 vampires. Damon fell silent again after that, once again lost in thought. Both brothers were quiet for a few more minutes until Stefan spoke up. "I'm sorry." Damon looked over at him, tilting his head to the right in order to make eye contact with Stefan. "I'm sorry that happened to you. What she did." Damon kept his head turned towards him, but his eyes were averted to the left. "Hm. Thanks." He said, almost as though he was surprised the word 'sorry' was in Stefan's vocabulary. Damon went back to staring into the fire, and Stefan decided to follow his gaze. 

In the long silence that followed, Damon stood and poured both of them a half glass of whiskey. Stefan took it and let the cold liquid burn down his throat. The minutes went past, and all Stefan could think about was the one question he was itching to ask Damon, but didn't dare: was he alright? How was he handling it? Stefan knew Damon was one to hide his emotions, to shut them out and pretend he didn't have them. But he did. Stefan knew he did, of course he did. And all that betrayal, that hurt, was amplified with his vampirism. Upon realising this, Stefan's mouth moved of its own accord. "Are you alright?" He blurted out, almost instantly regretting it when it looked as though Damon was going to ignore him. However, after about ten seconds, Damon sighed and bowed his head. "I have just been told that the woman I have been fighting for the past 145 years, the woman I thought was unreachable for over a century, is alive and doesn't care about me at all. She knew I was alive this whole time, even knew where I was, yet she never even bothered to let me know she was alright. What do you think, Stefan?" Damon said, turning his face away from the fire to glare at his brother. Stefan mustered up a little bit of courage, his next couple of sentences could go down one of two ways with Damon. "I think she hurt you. I think you're hurt, angry, betrayed and upset yet you're determined to hide that and replace it with fury because you refuse to acknowledge that one girl can make you feel that way. I think you're gonna go out, find a group of hot sorority girls and compel them so you can feed on them at will, then probably smash up a bedroom or two because you can't handle your emotions alone yet you won't let anyone in." Damon gawked at him, his mouth hanging open in an almost comical fashion. Stefan knew he was right, judging by Damon's reaction. Damon quickly collected himself and moved back to looking into the flames. "Can you blame me? Everyone I let in either dies, betrays me or I end up killing them for one reason or another." He said. Stefan looked down at the floor, nodding at his brother's explanation. He was right, Damon hadn't really had many people who had stayed true to him in his 170 years of life.

"No, I don't blame you. I honestly don't. But, just this once, talk to me. Trust me. I don't want you dealing with this alone, this isn't just anything. You loved Katherine, I know that and I am so sorry she screwed you over like this. I mean that, and I don't want you going through this alone. This time, I'm here for you." Damon had turned back to face him some way through his mini speech, eyeing him carefully as though he was trying to judge whether Stefan was telling the truth or not. Stefan put as much sincerity into his voice and facial expression as he could, needing Damon to trust him. Eventually, Damon nodded and turned back to the fire. "You are right." He said after a few minutes pause. "With everything you said, how you think I'm feeling, you're right. Now, can we be done with this little heart-to-heart?" Stefan's stomach sank. That was Damon's way of putting his walls back up: snarky comments. "Damon-" Stefan tried, but Damon lifted a hand to silence him. "No, Stefan. I get that you wanna be here for me, and I get that you wanna get all feels-y, but no. I'm gonna handle this my way and you, my friend, are not going to stop me." Damon made to rise, to leave, but Stefan took a hold of his wrist. Damon looked down at him, smirking arrogantly. "And just what do you think you're doing, little brother?" He sneered.   
"Sit down. Please, just let me help you." Stefan said, standing up so he was about an inch taller than Damon, letting go of his wrist in the proces. "Like I said, little brother, I don't want or need tearful confessions and talks about feelings and I sure as hell don't need your help. Now, are we done?" Without waiting for a reply, Damon pushed roughly past Stefan and walked out of the room. Stefan didn't move, he just stared into the still roaring flames. He stayed there until he heard Damon's bedroom door close. He tried to listen, but Damon had turned the taps on as soon as he walked into the room so Stefan couldn't hear. "Dammit." He muttered to himself. He just wanted Damon to trust him, to let him in like he used to...

**Mystic Falls, 1863**

_"Stefan?" Damon said quietly as he moved into the room nervously. "Yeah, what's up?" Stefan's replied, looking up from his book at his brother. "Hey, can I talk to you about something?" Damon hesitantly asked, running a hand through his black locks as he did so. Stefan, seeing his brother's obvious distress, set his book aside onto the dresser and sat up on his bed. He gestured towards the armchair at the side of it. "Of course, what's going on?" Damon shuffled his way fully into the room and closed the door behind him, turning the key in its lock. That confused Stefan, Damon never locked the door when they were together unless they were planning a disallowed adventure. He watched as Damon moved to sit in the armchair, sighing and running a hand over his face. "There's this sergeant at the new base I'm at, the one I went to last week for a familiarisation exercise." He began. Stefan nodded, encouraging him to continue. "He is a horrible man, Stefan. I dare say he's worse than father. I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle him while I'm there, brother. He just makes me so angry and even hurt sometimes. The things he says and does... I can't even put it into words, he's just so bad." Stefan nodded again, egging Damon on. He knew his brother just needed to say everything at least once. "He shouts and screams like he's supposed to, but he goes way beyond the call of duty. He personally insults people and brings up private matters in front of everyone else. He punishes people severely for doing the smallest things, often forcing them to do arduous physical exercise, literally working them until they drop, just for missing a spot on a mopped floor or leaving a boot in the middle of a room. He scares me, Stefan. He honestly does and I don't want to be around him." As Damon finally finished his rant, Stefan processed what he'd said. This sergeant really did sound like a cruel person. After dealing with Giuseppe his whole life, Stefan could understand why Damon was afraid of this man. "That sounds horrific." Was all Stefan could think to say. Damon nodded. "It is. I've seen the strongest men break to the point of tears because of him. I hate him, Stef." Stefan nodded again, laying a hand on Damon's shoulder. The older man looked up into Stefan's eyes. "You're gonna be ok. Just keep your head down, low profile. Do everything you're told. I know you hate that, I know you're a rule breaker, especially when it comes to the Confederacy. But this guy... don't mess with him. I think you already figured that out but don't mess with anyone there. Please Damon, for your sake, don't do anything dumb while you're there. I don't want you on the bad side of this guy. But if he does get you, write me. Write me and tell me everything. Got that?" Stefan said as a feeble attempt at comforting Damon. His older brother appeared to have accepted it, as he nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, that's the plan. I'll write you about everything, Stefan. These next few months are probably going to be the hardest in my life." With that, his voice broke. Stefan pulled Damon into a hug and stroked the back of his head soothingly as his brother's body shook._

A bang from upstairs dragged Stefan back to the present. "Damon?" He called. No answer. "Hey, Damon! You ok?" Stefan's waited and listened a few seconds but again, there was no answer. "Damon!" Stefan shouted again as he hurried over to the stairs. He listened for Damon's voice, but all he could hear were the taps. Sighing to himself and damning Damon's stubbornness, Stefan made his way quickly up the stairs and to his brother's room. Upon arriving, Stefan knocked on the door a few times but heard nothing from inside. Slowly, Stefan pushed the door open and slipped inside. A quick glance of the bedroom itself told him Damon wasn't in there, so he moved over towards the bathroom. Once again, all Stefan could hear was the running water. He knocked on the closed door again and huffed when he got no reply. He opened the door to find Damon sat on the floor in the small gap between the bathtub and the sink, curled up in a ball. "I didn't answer because, funnily enough, I don't want you in here. Get out.” Damon snarled. His death glare might have worked if his eyes weren't red and puffy. Stefan crouched down in front of his brother. "You're not alone, Damon. You don't have to push me away, you know. You used to talk to me before, you used to trust me with that." That only seemed to make Damon more frustrated. "Yeah, used to, until you handed Katherine over to Giuseppe." Stefan sighed again and sat cross-legged in front of Damon. "Have I seriously not told you what happened yet?" Damon shook his head looking confused. "Well..."

"You mean to tell me you never actually told Giuseppe about Katherine?" Damon asked, more alert than he previously had been. Stefan had just finished telling him the story of how Katherine really got caught. "You mean, you let me believe that you'd betrayed me, let me think you'd done the one thing we'd both sworn we wouldn't do?" Stefan shook his head.   
"Not exactly. It's just, in the past 145 years, every time I brought it up you shut me down because you didn't want to talk about it." Damon thought for a few seconds, then nodded. They were silent for a while as Stefan let Damon digest this new information. "It hurt, you know." Stefan nodded. A brother's betrayal is worse than anything. "I went after her for 145 years, only to find she doesn't care about me." _Oh._ Stefan thought. They were back to talking about Katherine. "I know." He replied, quickly getting over his surprise. "It hurt a lot, Stefan. I loved her, I really did. And then she did that." Stefan looked sincerely into Damon's blue eyes.   
"How else do you feel?" Damon shrugged.   
"Pretty much everything you said. Hurt, angry, upset. She upset me, Stefan. How does she do that to me?" Despite the situation, Stefan chuckled slightly. "You love her. When that love isn't returned, it hurts and that hurt upsets you. Love hurts, Damon." Damon nodded and sniffed, blinking away the tears in his eyes. "I hate this, Stef. I hate this, I hate this, I HATE THIS!" Damon slammed his fist into the wall behind him, putting a hole in it and slicing the side of his palm open. He uncurled from his ball and instead stuck his legs out front, holding his injured hand out. They both watched it heal, then Damon took a deep breath and laid his head back onto the wall. "She had us both infatuated over her, Damon, it's not your fault. She lead you on, made you fall in love with her, then crushed you. It's what she does, she's manipulative. Sociopathic. She takes pleasure in your pain, Damon, this isn't anything to do with anything you did." Damon nodded as he took another deep breath. Listening in, Stefan could hear Damon's thundering heart. He placed a hand gently on Damon's shoulder, then moved it to the side of his face and guided Damon's head forwards so they could look at each other. "We'll find her. We'll find her, then we'll make her pay for what she's done." Stefan said forcefully. Tears glistened in Damon's eyes as he nodded his approval of the plan. "I really am sorry, Damon. You loved her." Damon's eyes glassed over for a second, then he spoke in a whisper.   
"I loved her." Stefan nodded and brown eyes met blue.   
"I loved her, Stefan." With that, Damon's eyes filled to the brim and pooled over. Immediately coming out of his stupor, Damon flinched way from Stefan's comforting hand and wiped the wetness from his eyes. "Get out." He said, looking down at the floor and standing. Stefan rose with him. "Damon-"  
"I said get out, Stefan!" Stefan didn't do anything, he just stood there. Damon glanced up at him. "Why the hell are you still stood there, OUT!" Damon said, pointing towards the door. But Stefan shook his head, moving towards Damon, who backed away. "Stefan, stop, just get out! Get out, Stefan!" But Damon's voice was shaking wildly. Stefan reached out towards his brother, but Damon whacked his arms out of the way. "NO! Get out, Stefan!" But when Stefan reached out again, Damon just froze. Stefan placed his hands on Damon's shoulders, then leaned down to look into his averted eyes. "Hey, it's ok. It's ok." He soothed. Damon shook his head, breaking eye contact with Stefan. "No. No, it's not. It's not ok. IT'S NOT OK!" As Damon lashed out with his arms, trying to break free from his brother, Stefan pinned them to his sides and pulled Damon into a hug. Damon thrashed, trying to get out of the embrace, shouting for Stefan to let him go, but Stefan held firm. Gradually, Damon stopped fighting and eventually relaxed into Stefan's arms with a sob. He wrapped his arms around Stefan's waist and buried his head into his shoulder. "It's not ok, Stefan, it's not ok." He cried. Stefan rubbed his back and hair in an attempt to console his brother. "I know it's not, I know. It will be, though. I promise." Damon nodded as he cried into Stefan's shoulder. And all the while, Stefan whispered comforting words and promises that they were going to make everything alright together. 

Later that night, once Damon was asleep, Stefan took out an old letter, one Damon had written to him during the civil war. 

' _Stefan,_  
I hate it here. Sergeant smart ass loves me. By 'loves me' I mean he loves to punish me, by the way. He picks up on every little thing I do and breaks me for it. I want to go home, Stefan. I keep asking for leave, but I've only been here a month and a half. I want to go back to you, Stefan. I need you. That night when I told you about sergeant smart ass helped me a lot and if I'm honest I need that right now. I don't know how much more of him I can take, Stef. He hates me and everyone knows it. I have no friends because people are too afraid of the sergeant to mingle with me, the other officers and NCOs* are harsher on me because of him. Life here really does suck, Stefan, he practically runs the whole base. I want out, brother. But I'm going to keep going for you. I'm going to keep dealing with whatever he gives me because the only other option at this point is deserting. The thought of going home to you at the end of these three months is what keeps me going. Keep writing, brother. I can't always reply, but I promise you I read every single one. Your letters make my day, they mean so much. I love you little brother. I'm going to come back to you.   
Damon'

Stefan folded the letter back up and placed it back in the envelope, then back in the little wooden memory box. That was the only letter Stefan had received from Damon the total four and a half months he spent at that base, but Stefan had written to Damon three times a week, making sure to write as positively as possible in order to boost Damon's morale. He remembers writing about his little discoveries in the woods or yard, how Emma (their family servant) had even agreed to play football with him once. He never got offended or worried when Damon didn't write, because he knew Damon was getting his letters. The letter Damon had written to him was a constant reminder to Stefan that he and Damon really had once been brothers, that they'd shared a bond nobody seemed to be able to break. It was a reminder that, despite everything that happened to him, Damon did have humanity in him, he was capable of expressing his emotions. It was a reminder that Damon loved him, that he cared about him even when he said he didn't. Because no matter what, the Salvatore brothers were just that: brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***NCOs- Non-Commissioned Officers (corporals, sergeants etc)  
>  I am sososo sorry if that was too OOC, I'm working on it I swear. Anyways, hope you enjoyed that. Reviews and requests welcome as always. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	17. Nightmare Part 2- Enzo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Like I said, here's part 2 of my nightmare trilogy. The previous part was Damon, the next is Stefan. This one is Enzo.  
>  Characters: Damon, Enzo, Augustine  
> Pairings: None (unless you look hard enough)  
> Warnings: descriptions of torture  
> Summary: "Enzo! Enzo, wake up! Wake! Up!"**

**Augustine Cells, 1856**

_"So, 12144, what do you want to do today? I was thinking maybe we could see how long it takes your entire lungs to regrow, I don't think we've done that before." Enzo huffed irritably, Augustine had been threatening him with that for months. Still, it didn't stop the panicked thundering of his heart, a thundering the machine beeping next to him picked up. "You can act as tough as you like, 12144, but you and I both know you're not as strong as you portray." Enzo remained silent. Augustine hummed in apparent satisfaction and moved around to the the table on Enzo's left, retrieving a scalpel. "I think it's time we actually do that, don't you 12144?" Enzo suddenly felt himself go pale as he realised that Augustine's empty threats were no longer just that... he was about to have his lungs cut out. "I'd rather you sliced my eyeballs open, if I'm being honest." He sneered, keeping his voice low to avoid it shaking. "No, I don't think so. Didn't we do that just last week? No, I think it's time we do something completely different." Without even waiting for a reply, Augustine plunged the scalpel deep into Enzo's chest._

_Enzo clenched his teeth and bit his lip to avoid screaming as the scalpel sunk into his chest cavity, he wouldn't give Augustine that satisfaction. However, as Augustine dragged the scalpel down his torso, he couldn't help but fight against the restraints holding him to the gurney in an attempt to move away from the blade. "Oops." Augustine suddenly said, clearly not bothered at all by his mistake. "It seems you've healed. That's odd, you usually heal slower. Well, something will have to be done about that." Enzo felt himself go, if possible, even paler when he picked up the smell of vervain. Augustine was dipping the scalpel into the liquid formula of it. "This should slow down the healing process enough that I can clamp you open before anything heals too much." Enzo couldn't help it, he'd felt the pain of having vervain in these wounds. "No. No, please. Please, don't put vervain in it. No- NO!" Enzo screamed as the vervain covered object sliced into his chest and down his front. Augustine dragged it out as long as he could, making sure Enzo felt everything and screamed at every little movement. Once that was done, Augustine peeled back the skin flaps and clamped them open. Then, he went back to retrieve the tub of liquid vervain._

"Enzo!" Damon called. Enzo was shouting in his sleep, but Damon couldn't physically reach him through the bars separating their cells, all he could do was shout. "ENZO, get up! Enzo, you're dreaming, you need to wake up!" But Enzo didn't hear him, he just kept flailing in his sleep and screaming. 

_Augustine made his way back over to Enzo, a wicked grin on his face. "This should do the trick." He held up the vervain water, and Enzo immediately began to thrash wildly against the shackles. "NO! NO, PLEASE! NO, PLEASE DON'T!" But that only made Augustine's sociopathic smile wider. He poured vervain directly into Enzo's wide open chest cavity. Enzo screamed so much his voice cracked, tears streaming down the sides of his face. He writhed and flailed against the bindings attaching him to the bed, begging for the pain to end, for it to stop, for him to die instead. But Augustine only laughed at him. "You're so weak, 12144. Weak!" Enzo barely heard him over his cries of pain. When Augustine had finally emptied the tub of vervain, he didn't wait before taking a small hammer and breaking the first of Enzo's ribs._

Damon had never heard a man shout so much in his sleep. Enzo was sweating, shaking and several shades paler than he usually was. "Enzo, please wake up! Enzo, you're dreaming, come on! ENZO, WAKE UP!"

 _Down below him, Enzo could swear Damon was shouting something. But Enzo couldn't focus on it over the pain he was experiencing. Augustine had broken every single one of his ribs with the mallet, gradually making his way towards his right lung. When he eventually managed to slice into it, Enzo screamed like he'd never screamed before._

Enzo was rolling around the floor as though he was in agony. "No! Please, make it stop! Make it stop!"  
Damon's heart was hammering inside his chest as he shouted, banged on the bars and screamed for Enzo to get up. But Enzo was in nightmare land, he couldn't hear him over his own shouts. "Enzo, shut up and listen to me! Wake up! Wake! Up!" 

_Augustine finally detached Enzo's right lung, causing the vampire to howl in agony. However, the pain subsided slightly when Augustine went to put the lung in some strange liquid, enough to make Enzo stop screaming and instead gasp for breath through his remaining vervain-covered lung. That's when he heard Damon below him. "Enzo, listen to me! Wake up!"_ Odd _, Enzo thought. He was wide awake. "Wake! Up!"_ Bloody idiot probably thinks I'm unconscious. _He thought to himself. Augustine moved over to the left side of him and tutted. "Your ribs have already started to heal. Well, we can't be having that now, can we?" With that, Augustine picked up the small mallet and once again hammered down on Enzo's fragile ribs. Enzo cried out and balled his hands into fists so tight his nails made his palms bleed. The lack of oxygen from only having one semi-functioning lung was starting to get to him, all of his screaming had made him go lightheaded. He couldn't get enough oxygen in, yet he needed to cry out. The pain was too intense... Augustine cut into the lung but Enzo didn't have enough air left in him to scream... he felt the lung starting to move, his air supply almost completely cut off, but he didn't make a sound... the pain was overwhelming, crushing him... blackness was starting to creep around the edges of his vision..._

"ENZO!" Damon screamed as loud as he could, feeling the soreness of the yell instantly in his throat. It did the trick, though. Enzo woke with a dramatic inhale, thrashing wildly with his arms at some invisible attacker, an invisible attacker who Damon guessed was Augustine. Damon stuck his hand through the cell bars and slapped the floor madly in an attempt to get the younger man's attention. "Hey, hey hey hey, it's me! Enzo, calm down you were dreaming! Enzo, it's Damon!" But Enzo didn't seem to hear him. He was panicking, scooting into the corner of his cell and cowering there, screaming for the invisible person to get away. "Enzo, you're not there! You were dreaming, Enzo, you're in your cell! ENZO, LISTEN TO ME!" Damon's raised voice startled Enzo. His head shot up, brown eyes locking onto blue, and he took a deep, shaking breath. "Damon?" Damon smiled warmly at him. "Yeah. Yeah it's me, mate. You were dreaming." 

Enzo let out a long breath and laid his head on the wall behind him. There was a few minutes’ silence where the only sounds were Enzo's deep breathing and Damon's occasional reassurances that it was all a dream. Damon wasn't surprised to see tears falling from Enzo's eyes, he was even less surprised when a gentle sob made its way past Enzo's guarded lips. Enzo took a deep breath to steady himself, then spoke to the ceiling "He cut my lungs out, mate." Damon nodded. Augustine had done that before- cut both of his lungs out. Damon had had to watch as Enzo died then came back only to suffocate again on repeat until his lungs grew back enough to supply him with a sufficient amount of air. When it had happened to Damon, he'd taken three days longer than Enzo had to heal fully. "He cut my chest open, twice, poured vervain into the cavity and clamped it open. He broke my ribs, then my lungs were out." Enzo's description of the nightmare made Damon feel sick. Both men had experienced that pain and Enzo describing it brought it all back. "It was like it'd never happened before, mate. I couldn't even remember him doing it the first time."   
"That's the beauty of dreams." Damon snarled. "They trick you into believing what you're seeing is reality. I get you, mate. I do." Enzo nodded and took another deep breath, blinking away tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. 

A couple of hours later found both men in the same positions- Enzo curled up in a tight ball, staring at the ceiling trying to calm his racing heart and Damon lying flat on his stomach, reaching out as far as he could through the bars and making feeble attempts to console his best friend. Eventually, Enzo moved out of his ball and scooted across the wall slightly so he was within reach of Damon. Then, like Damon expected, Enzo took his hand. Damon sat up so Enzo could hold his hand properly and Enzo moved closer to the bars, each man gripping just as tightly as the other. Enzo interlocked his fingers with Damon’s, relishing in the comfort the warm palm gave. Damon squeezed his hand comfortingly, sitting with his back up against the wall. "You know, if I get thin enough, I could slip through these bars and we'd be cell mates." He joked. Enzo gave a breathy chuckle in response. "How you doing?" Damon asked a few seconds later. "I hate it here, mate. I want to get out, I'm done. I can't handle it anymore, Damon, I'm done!" He cried, slamming his other fist onto the floor then covering his eyes with it. 

Damon twisted so he could reach through the bars and lay his free hand on Enzo's shoulder. "We ain't gonna be here forever. We'll get out, I promise. I don't know when, or how, but we're gonna get out." Enzo nodded and sniffed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "When were you born again, Damon?" Damon chuckled.   
"1839. Why'd you ask?" Enzo shrugged.   
"You said you fought in the civil war?" Damon's face faltered slightly. "On my father's orders, yeah. I didn't want to go." Enzo turned his head, making eye contact with the other vampire. "How did you get through it? Everything that happened, how did you deal with it?" Damon thought for a minute before answering. "Stefan wrote me three times a week, that always helped. Then I had a few friends and someone I called a best friend. We helped each other through the stuff that bothered us, the stuff we couldn't handle alone. We had each other, and our families who wrote to us. We sang songs by the fire at night to keep the morale up, played football on the training field on weekends. If we felt low then we reminded ourselves of the things we would be going home to in the end. The things we had to look forward to when we got out. That's how we did it." Enzo nodded again and squeezed Damon's hand. "What did you think of?" Damon let out a long, slow breath.   
"Stefan, mostly. But also Katherine, the waterfall Stefan and I used to go to, the games we played. Yeah, pretty much everything has something to do with Stefan." Enzo laughed at that, Damon joined him. "I was an only child, I never knew what it was like to have a sibling." Enzo said.   
"Well, when we get out of here, you can meet mine. I promised him an eternity of misery, I'm guessing you could help me with that." Enzo chuckled lowly.   
"Yeah. Yeah, I could." 

The next morning, the vampires woke up to the door of the cell block slamming shut. They started awake, quickly releasing their still conjoined hands. "Well, well, well." Augustine sneered, the sly grin he always wore plastered on his face. "What a show you two put on last night! I heard every word, naturally."  
If looks could kill, Augustine would be dead ten times over. Damon was glaring at the man like he'd never glared at anyone in his life, fury and hatred burning in his blues. Enzo was just as threatening, but his glare was tinged with fear. "I heard 12144 screaming, I heard 21051 trying to wake him. It was very amusing, I even heard 21051's tale about the civil war. How interesting!" Neither Damon or Enzo said a word. They were breathing like bulls, faces red with anger. Augustine just chuckled and smiled cruelly at Enzo. "I'm feeling a little symbolic today. 12144, I believe it's your turn for a lung examination." Enzo instantly pinned himself back against the wall, pressing his body as close to the stone as it could get out of fear and shaking his head frantically. Damon looked horrified between Enzo and Augustine. "No!" He shouted, standing and walking to the front of his cell determinedly. "No?" Augustine taunted.   
"No." Damon said, is voice low and challenging. "You take me today. I'm fully healed from yesterday, you barely touched me." Augustine smiled at him.   
"How... chivalrous, 21051. How very, very brave, signing yourself up for a world of pain and suffering so your friend doesn't have to." Damon didn't say a word, just eyed him furiously. Augustine's steely grey eyes flicked between an obviously terrified Enzo and an infuriated Damon. "You do realise this means another week or so of you suffocating, dying then coming back just to do it all over again, right?" Damon nodded, holding his fiery gaze. Augustine pondered his options for a minute or so, eyes once again switching between a frozen Enzo and a fuming Damon. "Well, I did enjoy a whole night of hearing 12144 scream. As much as I'd love to make him feel more fear, I would love it even more if I could break your angry façade." Damon just continued to glower at him. "Very well, 21051, it can be your turn again today, how fun! I do enjoy watching that handsome face of yours contort with agony." With that, the door to Damon's cell was unlocked and the two helpers who were previously stood behind Augustine walked over to Damon and dragged him by the biceps out of his cell. Before he left, Damon managed to look over his shoulder at Enzo's retreating face.   
"Thank you."  
"Don't worry about me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Ah, these nightmare chapters were always gonna be short. Anyways, let me know what you thought of that and if you have any suggestions for Stefan's, let me know if those as well! Hope you enjoyed. Thanks again for reading, Isaac :))**


	18. Birthday Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **I lovelovelove Damon and Stefan in the early 1860s!! So, here's another fic of them bc I'm impulsive and I can't help myself (FYI, Damon is 19 in this)  
>  Characters: Damon, Stefan, Giuseppe (mentioned), Tom (OC), Franklin (OC, mentioned)  
> Pairings: None  
> Warnings: None  
> Summary: "Everyone needs birthday cake on their birthday."**

**Mystic Falls, 1860**

"Stefan?" Damon said quietly as he knocked on the door to his brother's room one chilly mid-afternoon. "Come in." He heard the occupant call. Damon slid into the room and locked the door behind him. "What's up?" Stefan asked as Damon locked the door. The older brother turned to the younger and grinned a wide, toothy grin. "Happy twelfth birthday, little brother!" He laughed, opening his arms wide as Stefan ran across the room to jump into his arms. "I thought you forgot!" He exclaimed happily as Damon hugged him tight. "How could I forget my little brother's birthday, huh?" Damon laughed again, spinning around with Stefan still in his arms. The younger boy squealed with joy as Damon spun him to the floor. "Now." Damon said, bending over to Stefan's level. "You know the rules- you can't tell father what's about to happen." Stefan shook his head.   
"Because birthdays are for children under the age of eleven." He recited his father's words to him the past two birthdays. "Exactly." Damon said. "But we don't believe that, do we?" He smirked sneakily at his brother, who laughed and shook his head. "Come on then." Damon took Stefan's hand and walked back over to the bed. Both boys jumped onto it, Stefan giggling while Damon watched him fondly. They sat cross-legged opposite each other, Damon hadn't even bothered to kick off his shoes. He took the bag from around his shoulder and placed it on the bed. "I'm sorry it's late, but I had to go to town this morning for something." He said. Stefan shook his head as Damon undid the clasp on the bag and pulled out a small brown box, handing it to Stefan. "Happy birthday, brother." Stefan took the lid off of the box and gasped. "Oh my god! Damon, this is amazing, how on earth did you get it?" He took out the most exquisitely designed marble horse. The rainbow design shimmered in the sunlight streaming from the window, the colours shining onto the walls. It sat comfortably in Damon's palm, but it was bigger than Stefan's small one. "Saved up a bit. Not every day your young man turns twelve now, is it?" Stefan chuckled and hugged the delicate horse carefully to his chest. "Do you like it?" Damon asked, smiling at his little brother. Stefan grinned even wider and jumped a little in his crossed-legged state. "I love it!" He answered happily. Damon chuckled again as he took out Stefan's other present. "You got me two? Damon, you're only supposed to get me one!" He exclaimed.  
"Says who? The birthday police?" Stefan smiled sheepishly at Damon, who handed him a folded piece of fabric. Unfolding it, Stefan realised he was holding a tie... his first very own tie. Not a borrowed one from Damon or father, one of his own. "Oh lords. Damon, it's amazing!" The swirled purple design was the best Stefan had ever seen. It was a deep purple, almost brown, but he loved it. "Thank you, Damon! Thank you!" Damon laughed as Stefan's arms were around his neck in an instant. "Careful!" He choked out in Stefan's iron grip. "You'll break your horse!" Stefan immediately let go of his brother and took the horse off of his bed and placed it on his dresser. "I never touch the dresser unless I'm going in it or getting my book, so it's safe there." Damon looked down at the horse in amusement.

He remembered seeing it in town a couple of months ago, and decided to save up until he could afford it for his brother. He went back to the shop every time he went into town, to peer through the window and make sure the little thing was still there. "Anyways." Damon said, snapping himself out of his thoughts and reaching into his bag once more, pulling out something squishy wrapped in tissue. "This is why I went to town this morning. You can't have a birthday without birthday cake." Stefan squealed, squealed, and bounced in his seat. "Cake? Cake! Damon, if father finds out we ate birthday cake, we'd be in so much trouble!" Damon snickered.  
"Since when have I cared about that? Come on, brother. It's a big slice, mind sharing?" Stefan shook his head, a mischievous smile plastered on his face. Damon unwrapped the large slice of chocolate cake and Stefan gasped. "It looks delicious!" Damon shrugged. "Who knows? Could be absolutely disgusting for all we know." Stefan laughed and broke off a small piece of the sponge, placing it slowly into his mouth. Damon watched his reaction carefully. Stefan's eyes went wide and he inhaled deeply. "Oh my god!" He exclaimed, his mouth still full of cake. "This is the best cake I have ever tasted!" Damon smiled satisfactorily.   
"Well, I think I'll be the judge of that." With that, Damon broke off a mouthful and had a similar reaction to Stefan. "Wow." He said, sponge still filling his mouth. "That really is the best cake I've ever had." Stefan laughed through his second mouthful and pointed at his brother. "Told you so!" Slowly but surely, the brothers made their way through just over half the cake, laughing and throwing crumbs at each other.

_"Damon Salvatore, if your father catches you in here buying cake your head will be off of your shoulders." Tom the baker chuckled as Damon pointed towards the large chocolate cake. "All the more reason to be doing just that, Tom." The baker laughed heartily at Damon's response. "What's the occasion?" He asked. Damon shrugged.  
"It's Stefan's twelfth birthday today. Father doesn't let us celebrate birthdays, so naturally we always do anyway." He replied with a grin. Tom laughed again and cut him a ginormous slice of the cake Damon had gestured towards. "That'll do you both twice over." Tom chuckled, looking at Damon's gobsmacked expression. "Yeah, oh my god it will. How much will that be?" Tom waved him off.  
"For you and little Stefan? Nothing. Everyone deserves cake on their birthday." Damon tried to protest, but Tom just kept shutting him down. "Call it a birthday present from me to Stefan. And tell him happy birthday from me. Go on, I know you love it when you defy your father." Damon caved, smiling appreciatively. "Thank you, Tom. That means a lot." He said, leaving an overly large amount in the tips jar. "You can't tell me no to that one." Tom chuckled as Damon made his way out of the small bakery. "You have a good day with Stefan, Damon!" Damon waved and thanked him again then left the bakery, stepping out into the cool November air. _

"I can't believe Tom let you have it for free!" Stefan gasped as Damon stood by the bed, retelling the cake story. Damon ruffled Stefan's hair. "Lucky you're soft and I'm handsome, makes us a worthy pair." Stefan batted Damon's hands away with a grin. "What are we going to do with the rest of the cake?" Stefan asked, looking at the re-wrapped piece in Damon's hand. Damon put it back in his bag. "I'll be back at midnight, we can have a feast. I'll grab some more stuff from the kitchen later." Stefan leapt up off of the bed. "A midnight feast? We haven't had one of those in ages! Thank you, Damon!" Stefan wrapped his small arms around Damon's waist. Stefan may be twelve, but he wasn't winning any points in the height department. "Just don't stay awake, don't want you falling asleep half way through. I'll wake you up when I get here, I promise." Stefan smiled into Damon's shirt. Damon chuckled and messed up Stefan's hair again. "Come on, let me show you how to tie that tie."

By the end of the afternoon, Stefan could tie his very own tie by himself. Even after Damon eventually left the room in the early evening, Stefan stood in front of the mirror, tying and untying his tie. He loved his new skill, all of his life Damon had had to tie his ties for him. Now Stefan could say he can do it by himself. He placed the tie on the handle of his closet, then walked back over to his bed. He sat cross-legged on his pillow and picked up his new horse. He admired the rainbow colouring of it, loving the way it shined and reflected he light. Stefan glanced at the clock on his wall, it was nine thirty. Stefan suddenly realised how tired he was, so he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, then got changed into his pyjamas and closed his eyes, exhaustion whisking him away almost instantly into a deep sleep.

Damon turned the doorknob almost silently and just as quietly made his way into the room and over to his brother. "Hey, Stefan?" He whispered, shaking his brother's shoulder slightly. Stefan turned over in his sleep so he was facing Damon and blinked his eyes open. "Still up for that midnight feast?" Damon said quietly with a smirk. At that, Stefan became more alert, sitting up in bed and smiling excitedly. "Yes, of course!" He whispered back. Damon sat opposite him on the bed and crossed his legs as he took the same bag from earlier from around his shoulders. He took out the cake left over from that afternoon, a packet of biscuits he'd found in the cupboard and some freshly baked bread. "Wow, Damon!" Damon sniggered quietly as Stefan took the bread and tore off a large piece, cramming it into his mouth. The brothers ate the food as they exchanged laughs and memories, basking in the nostalgia of earlier days. "You know what, Damon?" Stefan asked as Damon finally tucked him back into bed at one thirty. "What's that, Stefan?" Stefan smiled tiredly you at him.   
"I think that was the best birthday I've ever had." Damon smoothed Stefan's hair down and smiled lovingly at him. "Until next year, little brother. We'll see what you say then." With that, Stefan's eyes fell closed.

**Mystic Falls, 2013**

"Stefan?" Damon said as he knocked on the door.   
"Yeah, come in." He heard Stefan call from inside the room. Damon slid his way into the room and grinned at his brother. "Happy birthday, little brother!" Stefan set his book aside on his dresser and eyed Damon suspiciously. "What do you want?" He questioned. Damon's grin faltered slightly. "We haven't celebrated any of your birthdays since you were twelve, Stefan! We just got each other back, I am sure as hell not missing out on this opportunity!" Stefan chuckled and crossed his legs, straightening up on his bed. Damon jumped onto it opposite him, mimicking his posture. "Now..."  
"You're not about to tell me father can't hear about what we're about to do, are you?" Damon laughed at the irony, but shook his head. "No, Stef. I was gonna say this is a one time thing and don't ever expect it to happen again." Stefan barked out a laugh.  
"Should've guessed." Damon ignored him and opened the small bag on his shoulder, taking out a wooden box. Stefan took it and smirked at Damon. "Not another horse is it? I still have the last one you gave me." Damon shrugged and gestured towards the box. Stefan opened it and took out the bracelet that it held. "Wow." He said, admiring the piece of jewellery. "Where on earth did you get this?" Damon sighed.   
"When I went to New York with Enzo. A witch had it, it's supposed to protect supernaturals from being haunted by 'the demons of their past' or something witchy like that. Basically, it's charmed to stop people having nightmares. I'm sick of hearing you tossing and turning, it keeps me awake." Stefan chuckled breathily as he slipped the accessory onto his right wrist. "Sorry my trauma prevents you from getting your beauty sleep." He said sarcastically. Damon laughed and took out a second present, a square box that just fit into Stefan's hand. Opening it, Stefan's jaw dropped open. "Is this a-?" He gasped, looking wide-eyed at his brother. "An 1860s pocket watch. Antique. Knew I recognised it in an old antique shop I went into. It belonged to Franklin Craig." Stefan's head shot up from where it was staring at the watch. "Franklin as in, _Franklin_ Franklin? That guy you served with in the civil war?" Damon nodded. "One and only. He always told me he was going to give this watch to his little brother, Johnny. Then, as you know, Johnny died and Franklin was crippled with the guilt of not protecting his little brother properly so he killed himself. That watch was lost, until I saw it in that shop in New York. I was gonna keep it, then I remembered Franklin was going to give it to Johnny, so there you go. Still works, I mended it. It was a bitch to do so, but I got there in the end. " Stefan looked from the watch to Damon. "Are you sure you don't want to keep it?" Damon nodded.  
"Absolutely." Stefan pulled Damon into a hug.   
"Thank you, brother." Damon held Stefan for a few seconds, then released him with a groan. "Not done yet. Paid a visit to Tom's as well." He said, taking out the large slice of wrapped cake. "You didn't." Stefan gulped, shock and recognition flashing across his face as he picked up the familiar smell of the cake.  
"I did. Same cake, same recipe, passed through generations of Tom's descendants." He unveiled the chocolate cake of all chocolate cakes. Stefan hesitantly broke off a piece and slipped it into his mouth, sighing while his eyes rolled into the back of his head. "Just as good as I remember." He said with his mouth full. Damon laughed and took a piece, sighing with the sheer deliciousness. "Ah, it's better this time though because it's amplified. Wow, this is amazing." He said. The brothers made their way through the cake, this time managing it all in one sitting. When they were done, they just sat looking at each other for a few seconds. "We've come a long way, brother." Damon said. Stefan nodded.  
"Yeah. Yeah, we have."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I'm sorry, I just had to add that little bit in on the end there. Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Reviews and requests welcome as always. Thanks again for reading, Isaac :))**


	19. The Shrine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena and Jeremy found a cave when they were younger, a cave with history...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **I have no idea where this came from, but have it. It's set around mid season 5 ish. Also I have no idea how 1850s camera worked. Also, the dates are based off of the knowledge that Damon was born 18th June 1839 and Stefan 1st November 1846**   
> **Characters- Stefan, Elena, Damon, Jeremy (mentioned)**  
>  **Pairings- None**  
>  **Warnings- None**

Just after noon in the Salvatore Boarding House found Stefan and Elena stood in the kitchen, talking about childhood memories. "You know, Jeremy and I found a cave not far from here a few years ago." Stefan looked up from the letter he'd been reading, one about Elena's college application. "Hm? A cave? Where?" Elena shrugged and sighed as Stefan put the letter on the table.   
"Near the waterfall. It was on the right, just past the water itself. I was about fourteen, Jeremy maybe twelve, when we found it." Stefan leaned forwards, placing his hands on the table, suddenly incredibly interested in Elena's story.   
"Really? What was, erm... what was in there?" Elena smiled fondly at the memory.   
"Some really old stuff, I dare say it was your childhood era. Some bottles of alcohol, bourbon mostly, some of them still had liquid in them. Some wooden toys that looked like they hadn't been touched in a hundred years, and a photo." Stefan straightened up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Damon appear in the doorway behind Elena. His older brother shook his head as they made eye contact- he didn't want to be seen by Elena. "A photograph? What of?" Elena chuckled. 

"It was black and white, one of two boys with their arms around each other. They were probably brothers... I remember one looked about seven, the other maybe fourteen or fifteen." Damon and Stefan shared a look. "It had writing on the back. Two initials and a date but I can't remember them. I told Jeremy not to touch anything else, and to put the photo back where it was. I told him those boys were dead by now, and we should leave everything where it was out of respect... almost like a shrine." Elena explained. Stefan and Damon looked at each other again. "You said there were initials on the back of the photograph?" Stefan asked. Elena nodded.   
"Yeah. Again, I don't remember what they were, it was so long ago, but-"

"D+S, 1855." Stefan interrupted. Elena stopped short.   
"Yeah. Yeah, how did you... wait a second." She looked into Stefan's eyes. "You've seen the cave, haven't you?" Stefan nodded. "Wait... the initials..." Stefan waited for it to click. When it did, Elena's eyes went wide. "Damon and Stefan! Oh my god, that picture was of you two?" She gasped, hands flying up to her mouth. Stefan nodded again, a small smile starting to creep onto his features.   
"Damon and I found that cave when he was eleven. I was only four at the time, but I still remember Damon running into my room, yelling that he'd found a cool place. I was so small he had to carry me up the waterfall. He was too excited, I couldn't keep up with him." He chuckled. Elena laughed, smiling at the irony of it all.   
"So, how old were you both in that picture?" She asked.   
"Stefan was eight, I was nearly fifteen." Damon answered, stepping into the room and making Elena jump.

"1855, good year. Stef and I loved that cave. Every day, we went there. As kids we bought toys we weren't allowed at home and stashed them in there. As teens, we got weekend jobs and bought cheap spirits to keep in there. Father never found out about our little hiding spot, it was just for me and Stefan." Damon explained, leaving Elena stunned. "I can't believe that was you, after all these years. I've always remembered that cave, always wanted to know who D+S were..."   
"Well, now you've met them in person." Stefan smiled as he spoke. "You say everything's still there?" Damon questioned. Elena looked slightly unsure as she answered. "I mean... it was five years ago, when I was fourteen. I've no idea if anyone else has found it, but we didn't touch anything except the picture." Damon and Stefan locked eyes.   
"Fancy a trip down memory lane, brother?" Damon asked. Stefan thought for a few seconds, then nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess it won't hurt." Damon nodded and turned to leave the room. "I'll grab a bourbon, just in case." Stefan chuckled and sighed.   
"We'll be back soon." He said as he made his way out of the room. Elena waved him off as she revelled in the knowledge of who D+S were.

"Reckon anyone else has found it?" Damon's asked as the brothers reached the bottom of the waterfall. "150 years and only Elena and Jeremy have been in there? Nah, I don't think so." Stefan replied.   
"We don't know that. Someone could've gone in before Elena and Baby Gilbert did." Damon said. Stefan hummed, mulling that over. "Guess there's only one way to find out. Come on." With that, Stefan vamp sped up the waterfall. About half way up, he stopped and called down to Damon. "You coming or what?" Damon jumped up to Stefan. "Hope you remember the way, little brother. I think I do, but I wouldn't bet on it." Stefan grinned at him and vamp sped the rest of the way to the cave. Damon looked up and around for him, seeing Stefan's head peer over somewhere near the top. "Found it!" He shouted happily as he waved. Damon chuckled to himself and sped up to where Stefan was stood at a small entrance to the right of the waterfall. "How on earth did we used to fit through here?" Damon laughed as he stared at the tiny gap in the cave. Stefan shrugged and turned sideways, shuffling through the gap. "I fit, we'll be fine, you're slimmer than me." As Stefan pushed his way through, Damon waited in the silence until he heard a small gasp. "Damon." He heard Stefan say, his low, thick voice conveying everything. Damon wiggled through the gap in the waterfall almost easily, then took a deep breath before looking out into the cave. "Oh my god." He whispered. Nothing had changed. There was a pair of oil lamps in the top left corner of the cave, a few empty and some half full bottles of booze stacked immediately on their left. Around the cave, toys were scattered. Little wooden horses, a marble Santa Damon had bought for Stefan for Christmas in 1851, a faded spinning top that used to be Damon's favourite thing in the whole world (apart from Stefan). "Nothing's moved." Stefan choked out. The whole place was full of deja vu. Everything that they had put in there had been left in exactly the same place. Damon could almost picture a little him and Stefan running around in the enclosed space, throwing a small ball between them and laughing when one of them dropped it. He could just about imagine a fourteen year old Stefan and a twenty year old him clutching their sides as they tried and failed to breathe through their laughter, bottles of booze lolling in their hands. He could nearly see a seventeen year old him hugging a crying ten year old Stefan tightly, apologising for not attending their mother's funeral.

Stefan moved forwards to where the oil lamps were stood and picked up a piece of old card. "It's the photo. The one Elena was talking about." He said without taking his eyes off of it. Damon moved to look over Stefan's shoulder and couldn't hold back a small gasp. There they were. Damon with his arm wrapped securely around Stefan's shoulder, Stefan with his arm holding tightly onto Damon's waist. Stefan wasn't even up to Damon's shoulder, the top of his head stopped just under his armpit. Both boys were grinning madly at the camera Damon vaguely remembers their mother holding. It was black and white, but Damon's memory was full colour. Stefan had tears in his eyes as he admired how young, carefree and happy they both looked. He'd not seen Damon smile so wide since 1864 and he'd not seen himself look so happy for just as long.

"Mother! Take a picture of us, mother!" Damon exclaimed excitedly as Lily showed them her new camera Giuseppe had bought for her birthday. The boys had never seen one like the one Lily had in real life before, so they were ecstatic. Lily laughed and smiled at her sons as they grabbed each other in tight holds, jerking and laughing as they tickled each other. "Alright, but hold still, boys." Damon and Stefan stopped the tickle war and grinned madly at the camera. Lily snapped the photo, then Damon immediately tickled Stefan's collarbone. Stefan shrieked with laughter, then retaliated by tickling Damon's ribcage. Damon was struggling to breathe through his laughter, so he picked up Stefan and swung him around. "Oh Damon, do be careful! Please try not to hurt your brother!" Lily scolded, but she was smiling as Stefan squealed with joy. "How's the picture, mother? Is it good?" Lily smiled as the photo finally finished printing. "How about you come and look at it?" The boys ran towards her shouting gleefully. Lily showed them the photo, and both boys gasped. "It's amazing!" Stefan gasped. "How does it do that, mother?" Damon said, equally shocked. Lily chuckled. "I've no idea, boys, maybe your father knows. You could ask him when he gets home. Go on, play now." As Stefan ran off to do just that, Damon told him to go on without him. "I won't be long, Stef. I'll meet you there." Stefan nodded and sprinted in the direction of the waterfall, but Damon ran to catch up with Lily. "Mother! Mother!" Lily turned around to face him.   
"What is it, Damon?" Damon held his hands together and looked nervously at the floor. "Could I have that?" He asked, quietly, pointing to the picture. "What did you say, darling? Speak up." Lily replied gently. Damon took a breath, then asked confidently "could I have the photo? The one of me and Stefan?" Lily smiled fondly at him, then held out the black and white picture. "Of course, son. Run along now." Damon took the picture and hugged his mother, thanked her, then took off after Stefan.

Damon laid a hand on Stefan's shoulder and took the photo from his hands to get a closer look. Stefan took the opportunity to wipe his eyes on his sleeve and explore the cave further. He picked up a small teddy bear his mother had given him before he died, smiling at it before sitting it on a rock. He walked around, taking in the blue glow shimmering on the walls. Everything in here was a memory. He sat down on what used to be his favourite rock and looked to his left where he found... "there's another picture." Damon turned around to face him.   
"Hm? Another one?" Stefan nodded and picked it up. It was laying face down, so Stefan read the writing on the back aloud. "'The Salvatore Brothers... 1862." Then, turning the card over, both brothers gasped.

Damon was stood in his Confederacy uniform with Stefan stood beside him. The had their arms slung over each other's shoulders, smiling at the camera. But Damon could see, even now, that both of their smiles were strained. "That was the day I left for the Confederacy. The day I left for the training camp." Stefan turned to him, but Damon couldn't tear his eyes away from their faces. They smiled, but their eyes conveyed completely different emotions. Young Damon's eyes looked so fearful, Stefan's so nervous. Damon could remember that picture being taken like it was yesterday...

"Come on, boys, one picture won't hurt!" Giuseppe said to his sons. Damon and Stefan exchanged an anxious look, but moved closer together anyway. They wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders and forced smiles at their father. "Brilliant. Damon, you'll be fine. Stefan, you honestly don't need it be so worried. Have some confidence in your brother, boy. He's worth something now." Damon glared at the floor. Truth was, he was terrified and Stefan was beside himself with worry for his brother. Both of them knew that more men were dying than surviving in this war, and Giuseppe had signed Damon up to be a Frontline Rifleman. Damon had tried to lie to Stefan at first, telling him he was going to be at the rear doing the safest job possible, but Giuseppe had let slip Damon real job over dinner a few nights previously. Damon laid his hands firmly on Stefan's shoulders. "For once, father's right. Don't worry about me, brother. I'm gonna be just fine." Stefan looked at him with tearful eyes. "You don't know that! Damon, people are dying!" Damon bowed his head with a sigh, but quickly looked back up at his little brother. "I know, Stefan. I know. But I won't. I promised I'd come back to you, didn't I?" Stefan nodded. "And since when have I ever broken promises?" Stefan thought for a few seconds, then shook his head. "Exactly. I'll come back to you, little brother. I promise."

"Damon!" Damon suddenly became aware that Stefan was shaking his shoulder. "What? Sorry, brother. Memories." He smirked at Stefan, who just nodded and released him. "Come on, let's drink." Damon grinned, holding up the bottle of liquor he brought with him. Stefan smiled and waved for Damon to hand him the bottle. They sat where the other bottles were and drank to the memories of their childhood, of their early teen years and this shrine. "Do you remember when you were six and you broke your leg for the first time?" Damon asked, smirking as he gestured towards Stefan's right leg. The younger Salvatore groaned. "Oh, don't remind me! That hurt!" Damon barked out a laugh. "Wouldn't have guessed. If only you screamed a little louder, people in Scotland didn't quite hear you." Stefan slapped his shoulder and laughed. "I was six! And, if I remember rightly, it was your fault." Damon's laughter ceased slightly as he sighed. "Yeah. Wasn't I chasing you in a game of tag?" He said, chuckling. Stefan groaned again. "Yep. Then you cried when you saw my leg sticking out at the odd angle." Damon's chuckling stopped instantly.   
"For the record, I did not cry. You were the one who did all the crying!" He exclaimed, appalled.   
"Oh yeah?" With that, Stefan grabbed Damon's hand and closed his eyes.

"I'm gonna get you!" Thirteen year Damon shouted at his six year old brother. Stefan screamed and ran away from him as fast as he could. Damon gave chase but as he finally managed to tag him, he accidentally pushed Stefan too hard, sending the young boy tumbling down the hill. Somewhere along the way down, Damon heard the sickening crack of a bone breaking. He took off running after Stefan, getting to the bottom almost the same time as Stefan did. "Stefan? Stef, are you alright?" He asked, squatting down next to his brother. Stefan sat up, looked down at his leg, then let out an ear-piercing shriek. Damon looked down at the same leg and instantly felt sick. Stefan's shin was bent at almost a right angle. Stefan was screaming in pain as tears streamed down his cheeks. Damon felt himself tear up- he'd done this. He'd pushed Stefan down the hill. "No." He said as tears fell from his own eyes. "No, Stefan, you're gonna be ok. MOTHER! MOTHER!" He shouted as loud as he could, all-out sobbing now. "Stefan, you're gonna be ok. "MOTHER! FATHER! HELP, IT'S STEFAN! HELP!" Stefan clung to Damon's arm as he sobbed, just as mother and father came running into view.

"That's enough of that." Damon said, pulling his hand out of Stefan's. The younger brother grinned. "Told you you cried." Damon glared at him, but it was laced with a smirk. "Yeah, but at lease I didn't scream enough to wake the whole town!" He said, slapping Stefan's knee lightly. "Did you see my leg? I was six, it's no wonder I screamed! Anyway, it's not as bad as when you snapped your arm, you screamed just as much!" It was Damon's turn to groan.   
"Actually, I didn't scream, I just cried and I was twelve, so it hurt quite a bit." Stefan chuckled and took another swing of his bottle. "Seems so feeble compared to what we've been through now, doesn't it?" He said. Damon nodded and hummed in response. "Yeah I mean, I was at Augustine for five years, you drowned for three months, we've both been shot and stabbed at some point. Broken bones fix in an instant, they're nothing." He said. They lapsed into silence for a short while until Stefan chuckled. "When was the last time we ever did that? Had fun I mean. Together, as brothers?" Damon shrugged. "Like we used to? It was just then- when we used to. 1864." Stefan stood and walked to the other side of the cave, where he picked up an old ball. "Remember this thing?" He asked, holding it up to show Damon. "Oh my god." He said as he stood up. "Even that thing's still here?" He said as he caught it when Stefan threw it at him. He threw it back and Stefan caught it. "We've got time to kill."

Three hours later and Bonnie, Elena and Caroline were sat in the living room of the Boarding House. "When are they due back, didn't you say they left in the afternoon?" Caroline asked Elena, who shrugged. "No idea. It's only six though, they might be there all night." Just then, the front door banged open to reveal Damon and Stefan, who were both laughing hysterically and clutching their sides. They all but fell into the room, Stefan barely managing to close the door behind them before he doubled over and fell to the floor. "Caroline! Record!" Elena said at once. Caroline took out her phone and immediately began recording the moment. Elena and Bonnie snapped a few photos, watching the brothers with smiles on their faces. Damon was leaning on the wall with his left hand, his right wrapped around his middle as he choked through his laughter. Stefan was sat on the floor with his back against the door, coughing and trying to breathe while he grinned. Soon enough, Damon joined Stefan on the floor as he finally ran out of air to laugh with. "Oh my god, Stefan! Never bring that up again, ever!" The men stopped laughing for all of three seconds, then they looked at each other and burst out laughing again.

"What's so funny?" Elena couldn't help but ask. Damon tried to reply, but he didn't have enough control over his voice and breathing to utter even a word, so Stefan spoke up. "Just relishing in... in childhood memories. Told a story I think we'd both... oh my god... pretty much for... forgotten about and it was... it was hilarious!" He finished with renewed laughter. As Stefan said the word 'hilarious', Damon wheezed out a laugh, completely losing control of his body and flopping onto the floor where he laid on his side and clutched his ribs. That made Stefan lose whatever control he had left and soon enough, both brothers were rolling around on the floor, unable to control their laughter. "Are they drunk?" Bonnie asked with a laugh. "No. No, they're back to being brothers. This is how they used to be in the 1800s." Elena replied, remembering the stories Stefan had told her from their younger days.

It took a whole half an hour for Damon and Stefan to have enough control over themselves enough to stand. Even as they moved over to the couches where the girls were stood watching them, they were chuckling. Caroline stopped the recording as the Salvatores reached them and winked at Elena, holding a finger to her lips. Elena nodded, it was a secret for further use. "That was probably the best day I've had in a long time." Stefan sighed as he sat in the couch opposite the fire. Damon also sighed as he plopped next to his brother. "Probably? That was the best day I've had in a long time!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Ahhhh, memories. I really wished we'd got more moments of Damon and Stefan being brotherly, they're amazing. Anyways, reviews and requests welcome as always. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**


	20. Change In Behaviour (DENZO)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **I HAVE NEVER WRITTEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE SO I SINCERELY APOLOGISE. If you know me in real life, I'm sorry you have to see this XD.  
>  **Characters- Damon, Enzo, Augustine, (OC) helpers, Stefan, Bonnie  
>  **Pairings- Damon/Enzo  
>  **Warnings- Descriptions of wounds, innuendos  
>  **Summary- whatever happens in Augustine, stays in Augustine.**********

When Enzo was dragged back into his cell, he looked a mess. His chest was still slit open and it looked like they'd had a good go at his eyes. Enzo only groaned in pain as Damon watched the helpers throw him through the cell door, and he didn't move when he landed heavily on the floor. "What have you done to him?" Damon growled at Augustine, who was watching Enzo carefully, making notes on his movements. "Oh just some digging around his lungs, a few tests on his eyes and he had a bit of liquid vervain poured into his chest cavity, nothing major." Augustine said with a grin, as though the tests really were nothing. "You poured _vervain into his chest cavity_?" Damon exclaimed, nausea bubbling in his stomach. Augustine just smiled at him again, then left. 

As soon as the loud metal door at the end of the corridor closed, Enzo groaned loudly. Damon rushed over to the bars separating their cells. "Enzo!" He shouted desperately. Enzo was laying faced away from him, so Damon couldn't see his expression. "Enzo, can you hear me? Enzo!" Enzo just groaned louder.   
"I can't move, Damon." He said, his voice far too weak for Damon's liking. For hours, he'd had to listen to Enzo scream upstairs, had to hear his screams eventually give way to sobbing and pleading as they usually did. "I know, mate. Augustine told me what they did to you." Through the bars, Damon could see Enzo's body shaking with a mixture of pain, fear and sadness. 

"Scale?" He asked as they always did. The answer was ways the same. "Ten." Enzo replied, his voice choked and several octaves higher than usual. Damon nodded grimly, heart going out to Enzo. He waited a few minutes, where the only sounds were the occasional sniff or an attempt at a deep breath from Enzo, then he sighed and spoke quietly. "Can you move yet?" Enzo tensed slightly, but managed to move his torso ever so slightly. "Yeah, doesn't hurt as much." He said thickly, his voice still trembling violently. Slowly, Enzo sat up and put his back against the wall, bending his knees slightly, and faced Damon. Damon was also sat with his back against the wall of his own cell, observing Enzo's stiff, hesitant movement. Once Enzo was seated, however, Damon stood and moved over to the bars, where he sat cross-legged in from of them. "How you doing?" He asked, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his interlocked fingers. "Everything hurts, mate. That vervain did me good." 

Just then, the main door opened to reveal one of the helpers who were bringing them their daily blood rations. He gave one cup to Damon through the bars, then paused by Enzo's cell door. "You are 12144?" Enzo nodded. The helper opened the cell door and stepped inside. "Wouldn't do that, mate. I'm in desperate need of human blood right now, and I can smell that your vervain has worn off." He said lowly. The helper didn't reply, he just took out a syringe of said vervain. In an instant, Enzo was at the back of his cell, pressing himself up against the wall as the helper approached with the syringe. "Hey! Hey, get away from him! He's already full of vervain, dickhead, _leave him alone_!" Damon shouted. But as the helper reached Enzo, he stuck the needle into his own neck and injected the vervain there. "Now you can't feed on me. I've been instructed to see how you're healing." With that, the man grabbed an already weakened Enzo by his shirt and slammed him onto the concrete. 

"Hey! He ain't gonna heal if you do that!" Damon exclaimed. Then, the helper moved down to Enzo's chest and examined the slit down the middle. He dragged his finger along the still-healing wound without actually touching it then, he pressed down... hard. Enzo let out an ear-piercing scream, and Damon was stood up in less than a second. "What are you doing? Get off of him!" He roared as loud as he could. "Hey, you asshole! _Agh_!" Damon banged and pulled on the bars, shouting at the helper, who just wouldn't let up on Enzo's torture. "Sorry." He sneered. "Did I forget to mention that my hands are covered in vervain?" With that, the man clasped his other hand over Enzo's mouth. Enzo's screams became muffled, but they were just as daunting. Damon yelled with all his might, but the helper ignored him. When he eventually stopped, Enzo was left gasping and sobbing, tears streaming down his cheeks. "You're a bastard, you know that? A sick BASTARD!" Damon growled at the helper as he placed Enzo's ration of blood on the floor and left the cells. 

Once the door closed, Damon grabbed both shares of blood, stretching through the bars to reach Enzo's, and rushed back to his friend. "Here, take both. They didn't work on me today, I don't need it." He pushed both cups of blood through the bars, and Enzo drank one, but waved away the other. "What are you doing, Enzo? Take the damn thing, I don't want it!" But Enzo just shook his head. "I can't, mate. That's yours." He said through his burnt lips as fresh tears made their way down his face. "Yeah, and I'll get another one tomorrow, just take the damn thing! You need it way more than I do!" Enzo looked at Damon for a few seconds, then nodded and took the second cup of blood, downing it in one. "Thanks, mate." He said, finally getting control over his emotions as the extra blood sped up his healing. The men moved so they sat side by side, the only thing separating them being the bars. 

The silence dragged out for a short while, broken when Damon sighed. "You doing any better?" Beside him, Enzo nodded. "That other cup of blood did the trick." He replied. "That was horrible though, mate. They haven't done that to you yet, have they? Poured vervain into you?" Damon shook his head.   
"Nope. Don't think I want them to, either." Enzo chuckled. "Be prepared, mate, 'cause they will. Out of everything they've done, that was easily the worst." Damon reached through the bars and took Enzo's hand as he heard the younger man's voice break at the end of his sentence. 

"You know, if I was human when you turned, I would've been 64." Damon said in an attempt to distract the younger man. Enzo sniffed and nodded. "I would've been old, grey and probably dead these days." He said with a chuckle. "I mean technically I _was_ dead but you get the picture." Enzo breathed out a laugh and gripped Damon's hand tightly. "And I'd be alone in this torture pit of a cell. I wouldn't have you." Damon squeezed Enzo's hand in return and turned his head to face him. "But you do. You have me and I have you, we have each other." Enzo waited a beat, then also turned his head to look at Damon, so their faces were barely six inches apart. "I think I would've gone insane if you hadn't showed up." Enzo said, his voice barely above a whisper. "And I think I would've gone insane had you not been here when I arrived." Damon answered, keeping his voice at the same low level. The men fell silent then, simply staring at each other and appreciating the fact that they at least had a friend in all this. Enzo squeezed Damon's hand a few minutes later and the men simultaneously looked back in front of them. Damon held his hand a little tighter in response, both of them needing the connection as the night dragged on. 

Barely a few hours later, once darkness had settled, Enzo fell asleep leaning against the bars, his head resting just above Damon's shoulder as he snored lightly. Damon chuckled lightly and ruffled Enzo's hair, causing the man to stir slightly. "Did you really have to do that?" He grumbled sleepily. Damon chuckled again. "You should lay down properly or you're gonna be uncomfortable in the morning." Enzo groaned and sat up straight, blinking his eyes open. "What time is it?" He asked. Damon shrugged. "No idea, the clock broke remember? Maybe just after ten?" He replied, looking around and judging by the darkness of the cells. The only thing giving them light was a dim orange bulb hanging just outside their cells. 

"How's your healing?" Damon asked. Enzo sat up slightly to peer down at his chest. "Pretty much healed, think the nap did some good." Damon scoffed and also looked over at Enzo's chest. The skin where the cut used to be was pinker than the rest of his torso, and still raw. Damon grimaced slightly at the sight of the harsh skin, but was glad that Enzo wasn't in as much pain anymore. "I think it did Enzo... I think it did."

Not long after Damon had spoken, the door opened to reveal the two helpers again. Damon and Enzo looked up at them, but they didn't move from their places at the back of the cells. "You've been granted permission to share a cell tonight." One of the helpers said. Damon and Enzo exchanged gleeful looks. "Seriously?" Damon exclaimed at the helpers. The only contact him and Enzo had had in the two and a half years Damon had been there was when they held hands through the bars. The helpers unlocked Enzo's cell and opened the door. As Enzo stepped out, Damon stood up and waited in the middle of the cell. 

As soon as Damon's cell door was open, Enzo ran up to him and pulled him into the tightest hug Damon had ever received. Damon hugged back just as tightly, breathing in Enzo's familiar scent and closing his eyes against the tears falling from them. When he opened his eyes again, he noticed that the helpers were watching them. Damon could swear he could see a glimmer of a smile on the helper on the right's face; the one he recognised as the helper who clearly didn't want to be doing the job he was doing. Damon rested his chin on Enzo's left shoulder and made eye contact with the smiling helper. _Thank you_ he mouthed at him. 

The helpers nodded and left the room. Damon closed his eyes again as he held Enzo close, both men laughing through their excited sobs. "I never thought I'd ever get this moment." Enzo whispered some few minutes later. They'd both managed to get their emotions under control, but they were still clinging to each other just as tightly as they were when Enzo first ran into the cell. "Neither did I." Damon whispered back. They slowly released each other and moved to the back of the cell, sitting side by side. Damon sat on the left of Enzo, with Enzo on the right of Damon. "It's so strange. We're so close all the time yet if feels like we've only just met in person." Damon said after a short lapse of silence. 

"I know what you mean, mate. I think we're both just starved of any sort of affection." Enzo replied, turning to face Damon. Damon hummed and stared out of the front of the cell. He could feel Enzo's eyes on him, watching him. Damon shuffled closer and leaned slightly on Enzo. The younger man did the same, so they were supporting each other. "Wonder why they've done this?" Enzo wondered aloud.   
"We've probably passed some stupid test or whatever. Or it's to get us in a good mood so they can ruin it in the morning." Damon replied. Enzo huffed, but it turned into a small laugh. "We'd better make the most it while we can." He said. Damon nodded and turned to face Enzo. "Yes, we should." Then, Enzo looked at Damon, their faces so close they were sharing the same air. They looked into each other's eyes, then both men moved at the same time. 

Damon felt Enzo's soft lips connect with his and it felt like electricity coursing through his veins. 

Enzo felt Damon's gentle lips brush up to his and it felt like fireworks exploding within him

Damon took the side of Enzo's face with his right hand to deepen the kiss, relishing in the euphoria and joy it sent flooding through his body. 

Enzo wrapped his left hand in the hair on the back of Damon's head to deepen the kiss further, tasting his sweet taste and inhaling his masculine scent. 

When the men finally broke apart almost a minute later, they rested their foreheads against one another and breathed deeply. "When I said we're both starved of affection..." Enzo whispered. Both men laughed and went back to sitting side by side. Enzo rested his head on Damon's shoulder. "This is far more comfortable than the wall or bars." Damon exhaled a sharp 'psh!' at that, a small smile playing on his lips as he rested his own head on top of Enzo's. They sat like that for a few minutes, then Enzo straightened up and turned his head towards Damon. "How are you doing?" Damon asked without looking at him. Enzo shrugged. "Loads better. Dare say I'm fully healed." He replied, looking down yet again at the now fading wound on his torso. "Good." Damon said, then leaned around so his lips collided with Enzo's. 

When morning came, both men were laying next to the wall they had previously had sat up against. They were wrapped around each other, holding each other in a tight embrace. They started awake, however, when the cell door clanged open to reveal Augustine. They released themselves and went back to sitting against the wall. "Well... _that_ was an interesting night. I observed everything." Augustine said with that sickening smile on his face. Damon and Enzo gulped. "I also noticed that neither of you had nightmares while you were with each other. 12144 only moved a few meters into the next cell, yet things changed so much!" He said gleefully. 

The vampires merely glared at the 'scientist'. "An interesting difference in vampire behaviours, we're going to continue observing your performances while in the same cell. That means lucky you, you get more time with each other!" Damon's heart leapt happily at that statement, but his face remained stern.   
Enzo's stomach practically did a backflip, yet his expression remained stony. "Well, let's get on with the day, shall we? 21051, I believe it's your turn. Enzo was about to protest, but Damon clamped a hand over his mouth and whispered "shut up." Enzo kissed Damon's hand and Damon felt him smirk. He stood and Augustine took him by his left bicep, guiding him out of the room and up to the torture chamber. 

When Damon returned that night, he wasn't even bleeding, but he looked like he'd seen a thousand ghosts. Enzo caught him as the helper threw Damon into the cell. "Hey! Hey, you ok?" But Damon thrashed out of his arms and backed up against the bars at the front of the cell. "Hey, it's only me, you're ok!" Enzo said softly, trying not to startle Damon by holding his hands up in front of him. "It's Enzo, mate. You're alright, they're not coming back." But Damon was having none of it.   
"Get away! No more, I'm done! Please leave me alone!" He shouted, tears streaming down his face. Enzo looked at him, confused. 

He'd never seen Damon act like his. Clearly, Augustine had turned to mental torture because Damon didn't even seem to recognise him. "Hi." Enzo said quietly, holding out his hand in an offered handshake. "I'm Enzo, I'm another patient here." Damon studied Enzo's face for a few minutes, then something in his eyes changed and he breathed out deeply. "Enzo?" He whispered, his voice breaking. Enzo nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, that's me, mate. You're alright." Damon nodded, but didn't take Enzo's hand. Instead, the older vampire pulled the younger into a tight hug. "You were him." Enzo heard him sob against his shoulder. 

"You were him, you were Augustine." Enzo shushed Damon soothingly and rubbed his back in an attempt to console the shaking, crying man. When Damon couldn't seem to calm himself down, Enzo pulled away, ignoring Damon's protests and tightening holds, and grabbed either side of Damon's head. "Listen to me." He said firmly. "I'm not him. I will never hurt you." With that, Enzo pressed his lips to Damon's. He felt tears dripping down Damon's cheeks, but he ignored them as he deepened the kiss. Damon responded just as passionately, his tears gradually slowing down as they kissed. Enzo tangled his fingers in Damon's hair and felt Damon do the same to him. They ran their fingers through each other's hair, caressed each other's toned bodies through their thin clothes and breathed in each other's musky scent. 

Damon suddenly moved with vamp-speed and slammed Enzo up against the wall, pinning him there and roughening the kiss up. Enzo responded by leaning his head forward and tugging on Damon's hair slightly, groaning into the other man's mouth. Damon broke away to pull Enzo's shirt over his head, then Enzo did the same to Damon and they smashed their lips together once more. They ran their hands over each other's muscles, Damon trailing his finger down the middle of Enzo's torso while Enzo ran his hands across Damon's shoulder blades, digging his nails in slightly and causing the older man to hiss. As the pair started getting more heated, Damon sped them over to the floor at the back of the cell where he laid on top of Enzo. Darkness fell just as two pairs of trousers went flying across the cell. 

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVD

"You alright?" Enzo asked a few hours later. They were both dressed and curled up in an embrace, facing each other. "Yeah." Damon sighed. "It was just... you were him, Enzo. He injected something into me, did something to my brain and then you were him." He explained in a hushed whisper. Enzo nodded and kissed his forehead, bringing Damon into his chest and resting his chin on top of Damon's black locks. Damon tilted his head up to kiss Enzo's lips, then nuzzled back into his chest. They were silent until Damon's gentle, quiet snores filled the air. Enzo listened to him for a few minutes, let himself feel Damon's chest rise and fall, hear the softness of his breathing, and let it soothe him to sleep as exhaustion took him. 

"Rise and shine, lovebirds!" Augustine called early the next morning. Damon and Enzo sighed, then unravelled themselves from one another's arms and stood to face Augustine. "How are we after last night?" He turned to Enzo directly. "Little sore? If I'm honest, I'm surprised you can even stand." Enzo growled at him while Damon glared. "Well, it is indeed very interesting. That serum was supposed to last a lot longer than it did, 21051, you got lucky. 12144 managed to break through to you. I have no idea how though. How _did you do it_ , 12144?" Enzo growled again before responding. "I introduced myself. He didn't recognise me, so I had to pretend I didn't know him either." Augustine hummed in amusement. "Very clever... very clever indeed. Well, 12144, it's your turn today. Don't worry, it's not a serum. We're going to be running some more tests on you." With that, Augustine opened the cell door and the two helpers collected Enzo and dragged him out of the cell, but not before Damon had given him a kiss on the cheek and whispered "remember me."

Enzo practically waltzed back into the cell that night. "What the hell did they do?" Damon asked as Enzo smiled pleasantly at him. "Barely anything, mate. Practically just interviewed me, tittered around in my brain for a bit, that hurt, but they really didn't do much. They took a chunk out of the right side of my brain, again that hurt, but weirdly not as much as it usually does." Damon knew they should be worried if they hadn't done anything too harsh to Enzo, but right now all he cared about was that his best friend was alright. He walked up to and kissed Enzo, then pulled him into a hug. "We should seriously be worried about how good they're being to us right now, but at least you're alright." 

**Two and a half years later...**

"Damon! Don't leave me in here, please!" Damon looked into the face of the man he called a best friend, the only person he had trusted since 1864, and instantly felt a lump rise in his throat. The room was getting hotter, Damon could feel the flames getting closer to them as smoke filled the room. "Damon, please!" Enzo begged him. Damon looked right into his eyes through the cage. "I'm sorry Enzo." Then, Damon closed his eyes. He heard Enzo banging on the bars and screaming at him. "Damon! Damon, no! Damon, don't do it, please don't leave me!" Damn felt it. The switch flicking in his brain. Any fear, any worry or care he once had for his boyfriend was gone in an instant. He turned his back on Enzo without saying another word, ignoring the younger man's screams for him to come back, to not leave him, to help him. He ignored the small part of him that was itching to go back and help him, to get him out. Damon couldn't do that, because then he would die as well. There was no point, so Damon just walked right out of the room and left his best friend and lover behind in the burning room. 

**Sixty years later...**

"Enzo?" Damon whispered. Enzo turned to face him. "Damon." Damon nodded. He couldn't believe it. After all this time, Enzo was alive. All that time he spent thinking Enzo was dead as he drowned in guilt, sadness and shame when he eventually turned his humanity back on in 1961, trying not to succumb to the guilt ever since, after all of that... his best friend was alive. "Did you get her? Katherine?" Damon shook his head. "No. She's a lying, manipulative bitch." He said, staring at the floor. Then, not even caring that Damon's younger brother and Bonnie were in the room, watching them carefully, Enzo walked over to him in a few strides, grabbed the sides of his head and kissed him. 

"Good." He whispered, leaning his forehead against Damon's. "Because I forgave you a long time ago for leaving me in that cage and I've been dying to do that ever since." He said. They kissed again, only breaking apart when Stefan cleared his throat. Damon and Enzo turned to their audience and smiled. "What?" Damon said as Stefan gawked at him, his mouth dropped open comically. "Close your mouth, Stefan, you'll catch flies." Stefan snapped his jaw shut and stammered at him. "You... you're... what?" Damon grinned widely at him.   
"Be honest with me now, Steffie. Is it really so surprising that I swing both ways?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Ok yeah I loved this. I don't particularly ship Damon and Enzo (I'm editing this and I can safely say that that is now a lie- I ship them HARD) so I have no idea why I added that little bit onto the end, but I'm pretty sure *something* would've happened in Augustine. Anyways, reviews and requests welcome as always. Thanks for reading, Isaac :))**

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews and requests welcome :))


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